IN A major operation, the Nagpur Customs officials successfully foiled an attempt by two persons to smuggle gold from Doha, Qatar, in two trolley bags valued at approximately Rs 61,25,549 lakh at Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar International Airport, Nagpur, in the wee hours of Tuesday. The teams of Air Intelligence Unit (AIU) and Air Customs Unit (ACU) of Nagpur Customs, acting on a specific intelligence and under the guidance and supervision of Avinash Thete, Commissioner of Customs, Nagpur, prevented a major attempt of foreign gold smuggling at Nagpur international airport at 4.30 am on September 3. The Customs officials found the gold concealed in two trolley bags in the form of silver-coloured thick wires to avoid detection.

 

The gold in wire form was coated with silver-coloured substance which was not easy to detect on regular baggage screening machine. In this connection, 384.100 gram and 475.230 gram of 24K gold with an approximate value of Rs 61,25,549, was seized from two passengers, who were travelling from Doha to Nagpur by Qatar Airways flight no. QR-590 on September 2. The two passengers were arrested for smuggling gold in to the country. Air Intelligence Unit and Air Customs Unit of Nagpur Customs intercepted the said passengers at Nagpur International Airport, on the basis of intelligence developed by Anjum Tadvi, Assistant Commissioner of AIU and supported by Charanjit Singh, Assistant Commissioner, Prakash B Kapse, Superintendent, Rajesh Khapre, Superintendent, Manish Pandharpurkar, Superintendent, Nita Nalge, Superintendent, Vishal Bhopte, Inspector, Priyanka Meena, Inspector and Shailendra Yadav, Hawaldar of Customs. Further investigation is underway.