Customs officials have seized about 10kg of gold at Rajiv Gandhi International Airport in Shamshaba in the past two weeks
Release date – 08:00 AM, Fri – 2 June 23
file photo
Hyderabad: Customer profiling and smart monitoring are helping customs officials catch those secretly trying to smuggle gold out of the country. Customs seized about 10kg of gold at Shabad RGI Airport in the past two weeks.
Passengers trying to smuggle the gold were found to be using innovative methods to hide the gold. From sanitary napkins, to taping them around waists and inside shoes, to hiding them in emergency lights, customs officials detected and recovered the gold before it was confiscated.
“A common modus operandi is to make small balls of gold paste and hide them in the rectum. These balls are then ejected and given by the smugglers to someone designated for collection somewhere outside the airport,” said a customs officer officials said.
Officials were analyzing the passenger’s profile before targeting him. “There is data about a specific passenger visiting a specific country. Based on the analysis, every time a passenger arrives, we check his credentials, the total number of visits to a specific country, and other details. Sometimes, our officers will travel to that specific country. country, take the passenger’s flight and monitor it throughout the journey,” the official said.
More recently, officials have discovered that smuggling rings are also luring novices to smuggle gold in exchange for airline tickets and other incentives.
“Different modus operandi are being used, such as using sanitary napkins, sticking them on the waist or legs, hiding them in shoes. They try to hoodwink us, however, when we have strong suspicions about a passenger, we check both the passenger and the belongings,” He said.
Intelligence agencies have warned customs authorities that certain groups may be smuggling gold to raise funds for nefarious activities in the country. As a result, the air intelligence unit of the customs department has increased its vigilance against the flow of foreign currency from India to other countries, which is used by the syndicate to buy gold in Africa or the Gulf countries and bring it into the country.
