It's Raining Gold in all Airports - Smuggling unabated - Gold Powder in Tea Packets
THE ingenuity of the smuggler knows no bounds. In spite of tons of gold being seized by the Customs, smugglers are not disheartened and fresh means of smuggling are improvised every day. Not a day passes without a major seizure in some airport or other. And a conservative estimate (not backed by any authentic analysis) is that less than ten percent of the smuggled gold is seized by Customs.
In a Modus Operandi Circular issued on 15.03.2014, the Chennai Airport Customs Commissioner Sanjay Kumar Agarwal has highlighted the unique method adopted by a passenger that he powdered gold and mixed it with tea powder.
The quantity of gold so concealed in the form of powder in six tea packets was limited to 200 gms in each packet (approx)., with a view to avoid detection at the airports, even by scanning. Further, detection of such concealment is not possible without a keen eye as the concealment was done deftly and cleverly. However, on keen scanning, the tea powder mixed with gold powder appeared little bit black grainy(denser) than the normal tea powder which was used to be orange or green in colour. The tea packets were also found to be unusually heavier than the usual tea packets of same size. The total quantity of the gold seized in the form of powder was about 1.2 kgs from the possession of the said passenger. The Commissioner has requested all the Customs Commissioners to sensitise the Air Customs Officers about the new and novel modus operandi so that such concealment can be detected and department can thwart the attempts of such acts of smuggling of gold.
Gold in Soap : It is not tea powder alone in which gold can be concealed as the Mangalore Airport Customs found yesterday. They found gold pieces and granules, totally weighing 800.600 grams and valued at Rs.24,09,806/- concealed in four ‘LUX' brand bathing soaps and one ‘American Garden' brand Chocolate Syrup bottle from the possession of a passenger who arrived at Mangalore International Airport on 19.03.2014 at about 07.30 hrs by Air India Express flight IX814 from Dubai.
The Commissioner D. Purushotham expressed his deep concern regarding the increasing trends in smuggling and directed the officers to intensify the vigilance and surveillance and crack the attempts made by the unscrupulous elements who are indulging in these activities.
Tea packets, soap, chocolate, innerwear, flowerpots almost anything is good for smuggling gold. Recently a welder returning home to Kerala was arrested with a Kg of gold in the lining of his brass flowerpot. The welder was said to have been offered Rs. 30,000 to carry that 1 kg of gold which ultimately landed him in jail. If there is a place to conceal gold will be concealed there but our Customs officers cannot be really checking all the cavities carried by a passenger! And so gold smuggling continues unabated though P. Chidambaram does not like import of gold and unsettling of his CAD.