Darpan News Desk The Canadian Press, 19 Jun, 2023 05:20 PM
New Delhi, June 20 (IANS) Three persons have been arrested here at the IGI Airport for attempting to smuggle 1,122 gm of gold valued at over Rs 57 lakh, an official said on Monday.
A Customs official said that the arrest was made based on profiling when an air passenger arrived at IGI, and was about to board a flight to Bangkok.
"During the investigation, it was revealed that the passenger admitted to smuggling the gold in paste form by handing it over to an airline staff member who then clandestinely took it outside the Delhi airport without declaring it to the proper customs officer or paying the customs duty on the gold," an official said.
The Customs officials seized a total of 1,122 gm of gold valued at Rs 57,65,879 under Section 110 of the Customs Act.
"Both the passenger and the referred person have committed offences punishable under Sections 132 and 135 of the Customs Act. They have been placed under arrest in accordance with Section 104 of the Customs Act," added the official.
The operation was carried out in all seven border districts of Pathankot, Gurdaspur, Batala, Amritsar, Tarn Taran, Ferozepur and Fazilka. Major focus of this operation was to keep vigil on movement of drones carrying drugs and arms, ammunition, explosives and grenades in the border areas, an official statement said.
The passenger was intending to fly to Dubai by flight IX-141 from T3 on Thursday. Offloaded on the basis of suspicion, the man and his luggage was checked and the US currency recovered from plastic thread roll in his trolley bag.
Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann on Friday laid the foundation stone for the Sant Attar Singh State Institute of Medical Sciences at Mastuana Sahib in Sangrur district to come up over an area of 25 acres with an estimated cost of nearly Rs 345 crore.
The Customs officials at Chaudhary Charan Singh International Airport in Lucknow have found six gold bars in a dustbin near the immigration area at the airport. The confiscated gold bars are valued at Rs 36.60 lakh in the market.
Of the arrested trio, one was caught with 250 gms Mephedrone valued at Rs 37.50 lakh and the other with 2.70 kgs of Mephedrone worth Rs 4.14 crore in the market. After sustained interrogation, the woman accused revealed details on their two associates of whom one was picked up late on Tuesday (August 2) and the fifth was caught with the narcotics consignment on Wednesday (August 3).
Announcing an amnesty for defaulting domestic electricity consumers, Power Minister Harbhajan Singh said the outstanding electricity bills till December 31, 2021, of those who have not paid their dues till June 30, 2022, have been waived.
