CHENNAI: In a joint operation, the Customs Department and the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) on Sunday apprehended eight members of a Chennai-based gold smuggling racket and seized about 1.6 kg of gold from their possession.
Acting on a tip-off, officials intercepted eight passengers, all hailing from Ramanathapuram in Tamil Nadu, who had landed here by a Malindo Air flight from Hong Kong late of Saturday. They did not make any declarations about the gold and also replied in the negative when asked whether they had any gold in possession.
During interrogation, theyconfessed to concealing two biscuits of 100 grams each in their rectums.
“The racket had been operating through this route at least for the last two months. They depart to Singapore from Chennai airport in every three days with some cloth material for sale and land at Kochi with some household articles. They used to take delivery of these articles, purportedly for street-side selling, only after paying the stipulated duty so as to avoid any suspicion,” said a DRI official. After reaching Kochi, they would take a train to Chennai and hand over the metal to the racket in return for a fee.
