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2 tonnes of gold smuggled into TN since Jan, says DRI
Gold smuggling has once again become rampant in Tamil Nadu post demonetisation as black money is being converted into gold. More than 2,000 kilograms of gold had been smuggled into Tamil Nadu since January this year, customs and DRI sources told DTNext.
By
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Chennai
As per the enforcement agencies, the seizure quantity could only be 10 per cent of the total quantity smuggled in. DRI alone has seized 114 kilograms of smuggled gold in Tamil Nadu in 2017 so far and the customs also effecting almost an equal quantity. This rampant smuggling has been causing crores worth foreign currency revenue for India.
Any NRI, overseas citizen or person of Indian origin, who had stayed abroad for six months can legally import one kilogram of gold paying 10 per cent of the value as duty. This duty must be paid in foreign currency by the importer. However, sources said the legal import of gold has come down considerably whereas the smuggling continues to thrive, especially across the Palk Straits.
Sea route has now become the most preferred route, due to the porous coastline and also the practical difficulty in monitoring all the fishing boats that venture out for fishing.
On Saturday, one of the arrested had told the DRI officials they travel in boats to mid-sea and collect the smuggled gold from their counter parts in Sri Lanka. This is then taken to various landing points across Tamil Nadu coast and transferred to the destinations by road. Chennai and Coimbatore are where the main purchasers of smuggled gold are located.
Official sources told DTNext that many of the local jewellers are thriving on smuggled gold as it offers them a better margin. Each smuggler saves about Rs 3.5 lakh a kilogram of gold smuggled, sources added. After Coimbatore, Madurai and Tiruchy also consume considerable quantity of smuggled gold.
“Smuggling of gold through airports has come down in recent times, whereas smuggling through sea has gone up. The smugglers, who procure gold in countries like Dubai, take it first to Sri Lanka and then smuggle it to India by sea,” a customs official told DTNext.
DRI officials had effected several interceptions in land when the smugglers try to transport the gold to different areas by road. DRI had effected three seizures in a single day at three different places in Tamil Nadu and had seized 27.6 kg of gold.
“There are several smuggling gangs operating from Tamil Nadu. Even North Malabar based smuggling gangs in Kerala are operating through Tamil Nadu. One passenger arrested at Coimbatore airport on Sunday was a native of Calicut, Kerala,” a DRI official said.
3 kg seized at Chennai airport on Tuesday
Revealing a possible nexus between airport employees and the gold smuggling mafia, the DRI sleuths on Tuesday seized 3 kilograms of smuggled gold from an aircraft seat after a search on the suspect and his belongings yielded nothing.
The DRI officials intercepted a passenger, whose name and details have not been revealed so far, when he landed at Chennai airport from Dubai on Tuesday morning. The DRI officials took the passenger into custody, based on a tip off, and inspected his baggage. They could not find the contraband in the baggage he carried and could not establish any sort of concealment.
The officials then took him into the aircraft and inspected the seat used by him. When DRI officials checked the seat, they found the seat was torn and when inspected further, they found 30 gold bars of 100 grams each stuffed inside the upholstery.
DRI then seized the gold and detained the passenger. Official sources said that the passenger could have informed some airport staff, who were handled by private agencies, to pick up the gold and deliver it outside. There had been several cases where airport staff were held for actively participating in the smuggling business.
On several occasions, gold bars were found abandoned inside airport toilets and even on top of terminal lifts. Sources said such staff are making use of the rift between the law enforcement agencies and airport staff as the latter object to them being frisked by the agencies when they come for duty and later when they go out after work. Further investigation is on.
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