NEW DELHI: Officials were in for a surprise when 11kg of gold seized from passengers, who had tried to smuggle it through Indira Gandhi International Airport (IGIA) in five different incidents, were found to be metal pieces when the packets were opened before a departmental committee for disposal.
Valued at Rs 3 crore, the mysterious disappearance of the confiscated gold from the customs warehouse has raised serious concerns over the department’s credibility in handling expensive items seized on a daily basis. The matter is now under probe. A case under Section 409 of the IPC was registered against unknown persons for criminal breach of trust by public servant on Friday at IGIA police station.
A senior customs official said the incident came to light when packets containing 11.261kg of the yellow metal, covered and sealed at the instance of courts, were opened before a departmental committee as part of inventory proceedings.
“The packets were unsealed so that the gold could be disposed off, but they turned out to be pieces of yellow-coloured metal. The replacement has raised serious questions on the credibility of the department. We are probing at which stage the replacement took place as it is not necessary it took place at the warehouse,” said an official.
Both police and customs officials have not ruled out the involvement of insiders. Interestingly, the metal with which the 11kg of gold was replaced with weighs only 8.725kg. “It is a very serious matter. The department will provide all assistance to the police to find out the culprits,” the official said.
This is not the first time that such an incident has come to light. Last year, FIRs were filed on January 16, January 20, April 30 and December 23 to probe similar instances of theft where gold worth lakhs was replaced by a yellow metal.
“We will be issuing a notice to the custodian of the warehouse as part of investigation proceedings,” a senior police official said.
