The air intelligence unit (AIU) of customs at Mumbai airport arrested three passengers on Thursday for alleged gold smuggling and seized 814 grams of gold valued at Rs 21,95,821 from them.
The air intelligence unit (AIU) of customs at Mumbai airport arrested three passengers on Thursday for alleged gold smuggling and seized 814 grams of gold valued at Rs 21,95,821 from them.
The three passengers, including a woman, were coming from Jeddah by a Saudia flight. During questioning, two of the passengers told the AIU that they were carrying the gold for the third passenger, who was their tour operator. The AIU seized six gold bars of 10 tolas, totally weighing 696 grams, four bangles weighing 85 grams and one necklace weighing 33 grams from the trio.
According to a senior AIU official, the passengers had arrived from the Saudia flight, SV 744, from Jeddah after going on an ‘Umrah’ tour, a pilgrimage taken by Muslims that can be undertaken at any time of the year. The AIU intercepted them at the airport’s green channel due to their suspicious behaviour. In the personal searches of Usaid Laeeq Patel, the tour operator, and Kuwari Zahur Ahmed Gulmohammed, officials found six gold bars concealed in the inside pockets of their kurtas.
The third passenger, Kuwari Taqdis Javed, who was travelling with them, was carrying four gold bangles and one necklace. All the passengers were Indian, informed an AIU official.
During questioning, Gulmohammed and Javed, who are relatives, said they were carrying the gold for Patel who was travelling with them. As officials suspect that Patel, being an Umrah tour operator, may have committed the same crime in the past, they are probing further and verifying his journey details.
