NEW DELHI: Officials said increased import duty on gold — from zero to 10 per cent — has led to a spike in smuggling since 2013. Gold is available at low cost in Dubai.
A significant rise in gold smuggling cases has been reported at the Pune international airport in Lohegaon. According to the Customs Department, in the financial year 2013-2014, only six cases of gold smuggling, with 3.73-kg gold worth Rs 1.1 crore recovered, were reported at the airport. In 2014-2015, there were 23 cases of gold smuggling with 33.5-kg gold worth Rs 9.18 crore recovered. And between April 1 and October 31, 2015, the Customs Department registered 26 cases of gold smuggling, in which 15.5-kg gold valued at Rs 4.43 crore was recovered.
Officials said increased import duty on gold — from zero to 10 per cent — has led to a spike in smuggling since 2013. Gold is available at low cost in Dubai. One can save Rs 2.5 lakh to Rs 3 lakh on a purchase of 1 kg gold in Dubai. So, racketeers smuggle gold from Dubai to India by airways and other routes through “carriers”. The consignments are then handed to “receivers” in India. A probe has revealed Pune is considered a transit point by gold smugglers based in Mumbai and South India.
Customs officials have arrested 23 people for carrying gold in the 26 cases since April 1. Of them, only two are from Pune and about 16 are from Mumbai and Thane. Also, two are from Aurangabad, one from Odisha, one from Gujarat and one from Kozhikode in Kerala. Interrogations revealed they were to deliver the gold smuggled from Dubai to “receivers” mainly in Mumbai and South India. However, the investigators could not reach their masterminds in Dubai or in India.
