AHMEDABAD: The Ahmedabad zonal unit of the directorate of revenue intelligence (DRI) on Tuesday night nabbed two men for allegedly smuggling 2.1kg of Italian-made gold jewellery into the country from Dubai.
DRI arrested Thonse Zakariya Jamal and Parvez for smuggling in jewellery worth around Rs 70 lakh at present market rates. Parvez smuggled the jewellery aboard the Dubai-Mumbai Air India flight AI 984 on February 11, by concealing it in the aircraft’s washbasin. Jamal was to retrieve it when the aircraft was deployed on a domestic flight, from Delhi to Ahmedabad, to avoid customs.
The DRI Ahmedabad zonal unit gathered intelligence that one Jamal, on the Delhi-Ahmedabad flight AI13, due to arrive on February 14, would be carrying smuggled gold jewellery and would hand it over to Parvez outside the airport, a statement from the agency said.
“As the retrieval did not materialize on the same day, Parvez kept track of the aircraft on the domestic route and planned to recover the jewellery on the Delhi to Ahmedabad flight AI13 on February 14, through his accomplice, Jamal,” a DRI official said.
A physical search of Jamal resulted in the recovery of three packets concealed in a short pants-type storage apparel worn inside his pants,” officials said.
DRI officials said further investigation is under way.
