Another arrested from airport for smuggling gold

A person, who came to Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose International Airport on Sunday night, was captured by the security agency on the charge of carrying gold necklaces.

The security personnel found three gold necklaces from a baggage which was hidden under his vest. The security personnel took him to the Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose International Airport Police Station. 

“The accused person was carrying around 250 gram gold, worth Rs 7.7 lakh. He came from Yangon,” said a police officer.

However, the Air Intelligence Unit of Customs has beefed up the security of Kolkata airport before Dhanteras. The arrangement will continue till further notice. “The offender is a Bangladeshi national, who had flown to Kolkata airport from Yangon via Biman Bangladesh,” said a security officer.

However, a Customs officer said that many such gold-smuggling cases take place at this time of the year.

The officers of the Customs are now alert to prevent gold smuggling through Kolkata airport. Acting on intelligence inputs, the AIU officers are checking trolleys of passengers at the entrance of the Green Channel. 

“We have recovered the gold bars which are sometimes concealed inside two trolleys left unattended by passengers. It is a really repeated affair,” said a Customs officer.

The Customs officer added that in this festive season, the big groups hire professional transporters and smugglers or even take help from airlines staff to smuggle gold. 

In some recent incidents, the Air Intelligence Wing of the Customs at Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose International Airport in Kolkata has seized gold worth Rs 22 lakh collectively in three consecutive days. 

Two persons were arrested in these cases. An airport sources said smugglers by far earn around Rs 5 lakh by selling 1 kg of gold in Kolkata. Kolkata has emerged as the biggest supplier of those who ferry gold.