Chennai Customs Arrest Air India Crew Member And Passenger For Smuggling Gold Worth ₹1.28 Crore
A crew member and a passenger on an Air India flight from Dubai were arrested at Chennai airport on Sunday for allegedly attempting to smuggle gold. The incident came to light after customs officials, acting on a tip-off from the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI), apprehended the duo shortly after the flight landed.
According to reports, the crew member was caught concealing gold in ‘compound form,’ which had been handed over to him by the passenger during the flight. Officials revealed that the gold weighed 1.7 kilograms and was valued at Rs 1.28 crore. The names of the accused have not been disclosed by the authorities.
On 15.12.24, the Air Intelligence Unit of Chennai Customs seized 1.7kg of 24ct gold from an Air India cabin crew member and a pax who traveled from Dubai. The pax handed over the gold to the crew member. Both individuals were arrested and remanded to judicial custody under CA’62. pic.twitter.com/IbYZ6XPIlk
— Chennai Customs (@ChennaiCustoms) December 17, 2024
“On 15.12.24, the Air Intelligence Unit of Chennai Customs seized 1.7kg of 24ct gold from an Air India cabin crew member and a pax who traveled from Dubai. The pax handed over the gold to the crew member. Both individuals were arrested and remanded to judicial custody under CA’62,” the Chennai Customs posted on X.
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Customs officials stated that the plan involved the passenger transferring the gold to the crew member mid-flight. The crew member was then expected to smuggle the gold out of the airport and deliver it to a contact outside. However, their plan was foiled due to the timely intervention of customs and DRI officials.
“The modus operandi was that the passenger will hand over the gold to the crew member on the flight, and the latter was supposed to deliver it to a receiver outside the airport,” an official said per News18.
Both individuals were taken into custody, and further investigations are underway to uncover more details about the smuggling network. Authorities are also looking into whether this incident is linked to a larger gold smuggling operation.
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