3 airport staff arrested for smuggling; gold worth ₹8 crore seized | Mumbai news

MUMBAI: The Customs Department seized nearly 10.5kg of gold worth ₹8.5 crore from four separate searches conducted over Friday and Saturday at Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport (CSMIA). Three airport private staff members were searched based on suspicion and later arrested for their alleged involvement in the smuggling.

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The Customs had been keeping a close watch on airport staff members, and based on suspicion, one staff was intercepted, said an official. Upon searching him, they recovered six oval-shaped capsules of 24-carat gold dust in wax form from his pockets. The capsules, around 2.8 kg, were valued at ₹2.28 crore.

The Air Intelligence Unit (AIU) laid a trap on Saturday and intercepted another private staff working at the departure area. After searching him, the officials found he was hiding seven oval-shaped capsules in his underwear. The capsules, purported to be gold dust in wax form weighing around 2.9 kg, were valued at ₹2.36 crore, said an official.

In the third case, AIU officials on their night shift intercepted a private staff in the airport premises and recovered two pouches containing gold dust in wax. The gold, weighed around 1.61 kg, was valued at ₹1.31 crore.

All three private staffers were arrested under relevant sections of the Customs Act, 1962 in three separate cases. Further investigation is ongoing to find the destination and source of the smuggled gold.

In the fourth incident, based on specific inputs, Customs officials searched garbage bins inside an international flight’s lavatories and pantry. They found 3.12 kg of gold worth ₹2.53 crore inside black garbage bags.