K’taka: Four, including three women, arrested for smuggling 1.6 kg gold
Bengaluru: Customs officials at Kempegowda International Airport in Bengaluru on Wednesday arrested four people, including three women, for allegedly smuggling gold from Dubai by strapping gold bars to their feet to evade detection.
Officials seized 28 gold biscuits weighing around 1.6 kg, valued at about Rs 2.6 crore, from the accused. They also confiscated 13 mobile phones and eight laptops during the operation.
According to sources, the Customs sleuths acted on intelligence inputs and profiling of the passengers suspected to be involved in the smuggling racket. The officials intercepted the four accused near the exit of Terminal 2 and conducted a search.
During the inspection, the officials recovered the gold bars, which had allegedly been concealed and strapped to the feet of the accused. The unusual method was reportedly adopted to avoid detection during routine airport checks and facilitate the illegal transportation of gold out of the airport.
Preliminary investigations have revealed that the accused are allegedly part of a gold smuggling gang operating from Chennai. All four are residents of Vyasarpadi in Chennai, Tamil Nadu.
The accused have been identified as Ramjan Begum Sirajuddin, Nasreen Banu Sirajuddin, Hairun Fathima Sirajuddin and Asharuddin Chelladurai.
Investigators found that Nasreen Banu and Hairun Fathima are sisters and are related to the other accused. The four had arrived in Bengaluru from Dubai and allegedly attempted to smuggle the 28 gold biscuits into the country.
The seizure of gold worth Rs 2.6 crore, along with the electronic devices, has prompted further investigation into the suspected smuggling network and the possible involvement of other persons.
The Customs Department has registered a case against the accused under the Customs Act, 1962.
Further investigation is under way to establish the source of the gold, the role of the accused and whether the gang had been involved in similar smuggling operations in the past.