Mumbai authorities have detained 11 people at Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport for smuggling 3.3 kilograms of gold. The detained individuals include two airport employees who helped with the operation.
According to reports, the smuggled gold was transported in cylindrical capsules containing paste-like gold from either Dubai or Bangkok. The travellers carrying the contraband had each capsule, which held approximately half a kilogramme of gold, inserted in their rectums. Once they arrived at the Mumbai airport, airport employees assisted with the smuggling operation by retrieving the dropped cylindrical capsules from the passengers.
One of the detained employees worked in a duty-free shop, while the other worked in a grocery store. Accused include Ramesh Sunke (60), Sachin Julum (38), Naveen Achantani (310, Shubham Kadam (24), Rahul Bathija (30), Vikram Khatri (43), Jeetu Chhapru (37), Vashdev Pherwani (68), Mukesh Valmiki (43), Mangesh Patil (54), and Krishna Gowda (45).
Sunke was apprehended after accepting five cylindrical capsules containing 2.15 kg of paste-like illegal gold from Julum. Achantani, who was scheduled to travel from Bangkok on May 6, was found to be involved in the smuggling operation. He was supposed to hand over illicit gold to Kadam, but both were stopped by the authorities. Three cylinder-shaped capsules that each contained 1.2 kg of gold were found on them.
The World Gold Council has reported a 33% increase in precious metal smuggling compared to pre-Covid times. This increase is attributed to the rise in import tariffs and taxes, leading to a rise in profits for smugglers. Bathija, Khatri, Chhapru, Pherwani, and Valmiki were remanded to DRI custody for four days, while the other suspects were ordered judicial custody.
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