NEW DELHI: The Air Intelligence Unit (AIU) of Mumbai Customs found that accused Segu Naina Mohammed Shektheen Sha — arrested on Saturday for trying to smuggle in 8 kg of gold worth Rs 1.99 crore in two toilets of a Muscat-Mumbai Jet Airways flight, had successfully smuggled 2 kg of gold four days back. The AIU is now investigating the role of a crew member or a ground staffer of the airline who may have helped Sha.
Working on specific information, AIU officials on Saturday had recovered eight gold bars weighting 1 kg each from the reverse of the waste bin flappers in both rear toilets. During interrogation, Sha told them that he only received instructions to conceal the gold on the flight, and the same was to be retrieved during the domestic leg of the plane to Kolkata by an insider. He also confessed to successfully smuggling in 2 kg of gold in a similar manner.
Officials said Sha keeps changing his statement on the commission he was promised for smuggling the gold. “On one occasion, he said he was promised $300. He then changed this amount to Rs 50,000,” an AIU official said.
The commission would have been over and above the Mumbai-Muscat round trip tickets, which were paid for by the gold smuggling syndicate. Sha had left for Muscat about two days ago. Officials said they are now tracing the person who booked Sha’s tickets. “The identity of this person could lead us to more people in the syndicate,” the official said. Additional Commissioner of Customs, Airport, Milind Lanjewar said, “We are investigating if he was involved in other similar attempts earlier.”
