Chennai, In a major intelligence operation, the Customs Department at the airport here has busted a syndicate that was involved in smuggling of 267 kg of gold worth Rs 167 crore from Sri Lanka during the last two months.
An intelligence tip-off led to the arrest of a shop owner and his employees who were allegedly involved in the crime.
In a press release from Chennai International Airport, Principal Commissioner R Srinivas Naik said that a sales executive of the AirHub shop located at the international terminal was stopped over suspicious activities and during a personal search by the department officials, gold concealed in his possession was found. Found three bundles of. The body was recovered. He had received the drugs from a transit passenger, a Sri Lankan national.
Further investigation revealed that smugglers hailing from Sri Lanka had rented the airhub shop and recruited eight people to receive gold from transit passengers.
These people, after receiving gold from air passengers, used to hide it in their bodies and smuggle it out of the airport. "Under this modus operandi, they successfully smuggled 267 kg of gold worth Rs 167 crore in a period of two months," the release said.
The Sri Lankan national who handed over the gold, the owner (of the Airhub shop) and the employees were arrested and sent to judicial custody. The release said that further investigation is underway.
An intelligence tip-off led to the arrest of a shop owner and his employees who were allegedly involved in the crime.
In a press release from Chennai International Airport, Principal Commissioner R Srinivas Naik said that a sales executive of the AirHub shop located at the international terminal was stopped over suspicious activities and during a personal search by the department officials, gold concealed in his possession was found. Found three bundles of. The body was recovered. He had received the drugs from a transit passenger, a Sri Lankan national.
Further investigation revealed that smugglers hailing from Sri Lanka had rented the airhub shop and recruited eight people to receive gold from transit passengers.
These people, after receiving gold from air passengers, used to hide it in their bodies and smuggle it out of the airport. "Under this modus operandi, they successfully smuggled 267 kg of gold worth Rs 167 crore in a period of two months," the release said.
The Sri Lankan national who handed over the gold, the owner (of the Airhub shop) and the employees were arrested and sent to judicial custody. The release said that further investigation is underway.
