CHENNAI: The Customs officers at Chennai airport will not be allowed to use mobile phones during duty hours from now on.
The instruction came in the backdrop of the busting of a smuggling ring two months ago, during which it was allegedly found that the people part of the network smuggled 267 kg of gold into Chennai from foreign countries over two months.
The smugglers managed to bypass the Customs check and take the gold outside the airport with the help of duty-free shops in the airport. After the incident came to light, the senior officers began monitoring the case, which led to the arrest of nine people in the last week of June. The arrested people were remanded in judicial custody.
Now, based on the direction issued by the central government, the new rules have been put in place for the Customs officers posted at the Chennai airport. According to that, the officers should not use their mobile phones during duty hours. Their phones should be handed over at the office when reporting for duty, and they can be collected only after the duty hours are over.
Also, the officers should not move out of their allocated place during duty hours. They can exit after the shift only with the permission of the superior officer.
It is noteworthy that these new rules were put in place after the smuggling of 267 kg of gold. Meanwhile, as there is no development in the investigation into the gold smuggling case, the central government has decided to transfer the case to CBI.