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Two Mumbai Airport staff arrested for smuggling gold worth Rs26.5 million

A customer service executive attempted to smuggle the goods out of the airport using her Aerodrome Entry Permit

India's Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) has arrested a ground-handling staff member and a customer service executive at Mumbai's Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport for allegedly smuggling 3,350 grams of gold valued at Rs26.5 million.

"Based on specific intelligence that a ground handling staff member of Celebi NAS Airport Services India Pvt. Ltd. and a customer service executive at the airport were involved in the smuggling of gold through Mumbai Airport, officers of DRI Mumbai intercepted the lady executive at one of the exit gates of the airport," said the DRI in a statement on Sunday.

A personal search of the lady resulted in the recovery of two packets having 3,350gm of gold in paste form. Further, officers also apprehended the ground handling staff member who had retrieved the smuggled gold from the waste cart of flight EY200, Abu Dhabi to Mumbai, and handed it over to the lady for smuggling it out of the airport using her Aerodrome Entry Permit (AEP), the DRI said.

"3,350gm of gold valued at Rs26.5 million has been seized and both persons have been arrested under the provisions of Customs Act,1962," the DRI added.

Meanwhile, on October 29, the Air Intelligence Unit (AIU) at Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport (CSMI) seized 1.915kg of gold valued at approximately Rs13.9 million in two separate cases, along with the arrest of a person, officials said.

AIU officers at CSMI, Mumbai, successfully uncovered a smuggling operation involving international transit passengers and airport staff. The officers discreetly monitored transit passengers suspected of smuggling gold, who were handing over the contraband to staff members in the international departure area.

During the operation, officers intercepted a contractual staff member after a passenger handed over gold and 24KT gold dust concealed within their clothing. The gold had a gross weight of 1,323 grams and a net weight of 1,260 grams, with a provisional value of Rs9.151 million.

The contraband was cleverly hidden in the staff member's socks and tied around their waist under their clothing. The individual was arrested under the Customs Act of 1962.