MANGALURU: The past 72-hours was quite busy one for officials of department of customs at Mangaluru International Airport in that they seized contraband of diverse nature valued about Rs 30 lakh. The contraband seized include silver coated gold powder concealed in milk powder, saffron and foreign brand cigarettes in commercial quantity. Passengers who arrived at MIA from Dubai attempted to smuggle it by failing to declare the same to Customs.
M Subramanyam, commissioner, Customs said the accused did so with an intention to evade payment of appropriate customs duties. In the first instance, officers seized about 1-kg of silver coated gold powder which was concealed in milk powder. The contraband valued at over Rs 26 lakh was in the possession of a passenger who arrived from Dubai. On reasonable suspicion, the officers questioned the passenger as to whether he possessed any dutiable items.
Passenger was incoherent responding to the officers. His baggage was subjected to detailed examination. This coupled with expertise and experience of officers enabled detection of ingenious concealment of coarse silver coated gold granules in milk powder. This act by the passenger, arrested subsequently, is in contravention of provisions of Customs Act, 1962 read with Baggage Rules, 1998. The gold was seized and accused remanded in to judicial custody for 14-days.
In another case, the officers effected seizure of 2-kgs of Rayehe band saffron filaments of frade ‘2’, valued over Rs 2.50 lakh, which was attempted to be smuggled by way of concealment among diapers of Pampers Brand in the checked in baggage brought by a passenger. Further, in three separate cases, officers effected seizure of 90 cartons of cigarettes brought n commercial quantity, devoid of statutory pictorial warnings printed on the cartons, valued at over Rs 1.20 lakh.
