BENGALURU: Customs officials seized 61 lakh sticks of smuggled cigarettes worth Rs 4.5 crore at the Kempegowda International Airport (KIA) in the said period. During the same period last year, the Customs had seized 46,400 sticks of cigarettes worth Rs three lakh. Similarly, there has been a spurt in smuggling of gold in the last six months. The Customs officials have seized yellow metal worth Rs 18 crore in the last six months.
Sources said that the demand for foreign brand cigarettes had gone up drastically over the years.
“Retail shops at certain places in the City sell foreign brand cigarettes. Over the years, such shops are increasing and the stock received is certainly from the legitimate route of import. There is a demand for particular brands of cigarettes in the City, especially the ones from the Gulf countries, Indonesia, Malaysia and the Koreas. Intensified vigilance has yielded good number of cases,” the source said.
High customs and excise duties on imported cigarettes are reasons for the increasing cases of smuggling.
Official sources said smuggling of particular brands of gutka was also seen in the recent past. Since there is a ban on the sale of gutka, smuggling it through flights has become a lucrative trade. The Customs seized 17,250 pouches of gutka being smuggled in through the airport in the last six months. Unlike gold, undeclared cigarette packs are not always concealed, but stashed in the baggage. This requires strict vigilance on the luggages while screening, an official said. The Customs has booked 186 cases of smuggling of cigarettes in the last six months.
Smuggling of gold has also increased compared to the corresponding period (April-September) last year. The Customs had filed 57 cases of gold smuggling last year, while the number has gone up to 109 this year. From April to September this year, the Customs seized 65 kg of smuggled gold.
