Hyderabad: The Customs (Preventive) Commissionerate, Vijayawada has busted a gold smuggling racket operated from Dubai via Sri Lanka on Friday.
The sleuths intercepted a carrier of smuggled gold who was travelling in a car from Chennai to Vijayawada and recovered nearly 4.3 kgs of gold from him. “It appears that the foreign markings on the gold were deliberately erased to camouflage the smuggled nature of the gold,” said the customs officials.
In follow up to this operation, the officers conducted a search operation at the carrier’s premises and recovered 6.8 kgs of gold jewellery along with foreign currency (Kuwait Dinar Qatar Riyal, Oman Rial etc.) worth Rs.1.5 lakh.
“On August 26, the carrier of smuggled gold was arrested under provisions of the Customs Act 1962. The accused has been remanded to 13 days of judicial custody by the Honorable Court of Special Judge after trying him under Economic Offences, Visakhapatnam,” a press release said.
Customs authorities said the gold smuggled into India is being immediately melted by criminals to remove the foreign markings before the gold is moved to interior areas. In the years 2022-23 and 2023-24, the Vijayawada Customs (Preventive) Commissionerate has made seizures of smuggled gold to the tune of 70 kgs valued at about Rs. 40 crores.
Further investigation is in progress.
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