Gold smuggling racket busted at Shamshabad Airport; Covid testing center staffer among 2 held
A male passenger who smuggled gold from Dubai to Hyderabad and an employee of the Covid testing center who was helping him to shift it out of the airport were arrested.
By Newsmeter Network Published on 3 Jun 2022 8:35 AM IST
Hyderabad: Customs officials seized 3.14 kilos of gold worth Rs 1.65 crore from two persons at Shamshabad Airport.
A male passenger who smuggled gold from Dubai to Hyderabad and an employee of the Covid testing center who was helping him to shift it out of the airport were arrested.
Officers of the Air Intelligence Unit were on the lookout for suspects following reports that some persons were smuggling gold in connivance with people working at the COVID testing center at the airport.
They intercepted a 24 ĀyearĀ old man who flew to Hyderabad from Dubai by Air India flight. During interrogation, the passenger admitted to having smuggled in gold.
Customs authorities searched the premises of the COVID testing center and found polythene dumped in a dustbin. They found two pouches and four packets containing gold weighing 3.14 kilos. COVID testing staffer also admitted that he was supposed to take out the pouches through the Customs area for which he was offered a handsome consideration.
Based on his confession, the officers picked up an employee at the testing center, who admitted that the pouches containing gold were given to him by the passenger who offered him huge money to take the gold out of the airport.
