3 held for smuggling gold at Chennai, Delhi airports
Darpan News Desk IANS, 09 Nov, 2022 12:01 PM
New Delhi, Nov 9 (IANS) Customs officials have arrested three persons for smuggling gold in two seperate cases that were reported from Chennai and Delhi international airports.
In the first case, Customs officials in Chennai said on Wednesday that they have arrested two persons for smuggling gold worth Rs 1.33 crore.
Both the passengers, who came to Chennai from Muscat, were held on Tuesday.
"On search of their baggage, gold strips weighing 3 kg valued at Rs 1.33 crore concealed in the outer lining of their trolley suitcases were seized under the Customs Act," said a Customs official.
In a separate case, a man was held at the Indira Gandhi International Airport in Delhi with 355 gm smuggled gold worth over Rs 18 lakh.
"This man also arrived from Muscat. Chemical gold paste weighing 355 gm concealed inside 18 Eclairs toffees was seized under the Customs Act," the official said.
All the three accused were produced before a special court which remanded them to 14-day judicial custody.
Deputy Inspector General, Anti-Gangster Task Force Gurpreet Singh Bhullar said the team acted on a tip off to locate the kingpin Parminder Singh, alias Pindri, who was handling the operation of Bishnoi gang in the Nangal-Ropar belt. He said 22 first information reports (FIRs), including an attempt to murder, have been registered against the gangster.
The passenger reached at terminal number 3 on August 6. He was intercepted after he had crossed the Green Channel and was approaching towards the exit gate. On thorough checking of his baggage, nothing suspicious was found.
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.
