Year on, Chennai Airport's massive Rs. 167 crore gold smuggling case stagnates; key accused still at large

CHENNAI: Over a year after a massive gold smuggling racket worth Rs 167 crore was unearthed at the Chennai International Airport, the investigation has hit a significant wall, with no major breakthroughs to report.

The case, which caused a major uproar in June 2024, involved the smuggling of 267 kg of gold from countries like Dubai. The contraband was allegedly concealed at a duty-free shop inside the airport before being secretly moved out.

While Customs officials initially arrested nine individuals, including seven employees of the duty-free shop, a Lankan passenger, and the shop’s operator, most of them were quickly released on bail. Only the shop operator and the Lankan national remain in custody under the COFEPOSA Act.

The central figure of the smuggling operation, however, remains at large and is believed to be evading arrest from a foreign country. In a major setback for the agencies, not a single gram of the 267 kg of smuggled gold has been recovered so far.

Authorities point to a critical infrastructural gap as a primary reason for the stalled investigation. The Customs department reportedly lacks a dedicated control room within its airport office to directly monitor and review live footage from CCTV cameras installed across all sections of the airport terminal.

It has been revealed that in July 2024, the Customs department had formally requested the Airports Authority of India (AAI) to set up a control room. This request, crucial for modern surveillance and intelligence gathering, has allegedly been left pending without any significant action from the AAI.

Reports suggest the AAI has cited the need for amendments to the Bureau of Civil Aviation Security (BCAS) rules as a reason for the delay, effectively putting the matter on the back burner. This deficiency has severely hampered the effectiveness of the Customs Air Intelligence Unit (AIU).

Officers are now forced to rely on the control room of the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF), compromising the secrecy and independence required for conducting covert surveillance and stings on suspected smuggling passengers.

The situation in Chennai stands in stark contrast to other major Indian airports. Airports in Kolkata (run by AAI), Hyderabad, Bengaluru, and Delhi (privatised) all have dedicated CCTV control room facilities for customs officials, raising questions about why Chennai alone is being denied this critical tool.

This systemic delay is now being cited as a contributing factor to the increasing instances of smuggling, not just of gold, but also of narcotics and wildlife, through the Chennai airport, highlighting a serious vulnerability in the state's security apparatus.