MADURAI: Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) officials, who seized 32kg gold worth Rs 8.42 crore from the Madurai International Airport on Saturday suspect that smuggling activities have been taking place in the terminal for long and the involvement of insiders, may not be ruled out.
Saturday’s haul was the biggest at the Madurai airport and the raid was based on specific inputs from sources.
Even as several customs officials are stationed at the airport to keep a check on smuggling, the DRI team, consisting of 10 officials from Chennai and Tuticorin, conducted the raid themselves as they suspected that insiders are also involved in the smuggling racket.
“Smuggling of gold is taking place in the terminal for long. We wanted to alert customs officials by demonstrating the seizure,” an official from the DRI team said.
Incidentally, Abdul Alim of Ilayankudi in Sivaganga district, who was caught for trying to smuggle 247 star tortoises to Kuala Lumpur via Sri Lanka, had told forest officials that some insiders at the airport were supposed to help him smuggle the endangered species.
DRI officials said the insiders also informed the smugglers beforehand that a checking was taking place and to escape arrest a suitcase containing more than 23kg gold was abandoned under a seat in the flight.
“Not necessarily customs officials are involved. Even officials from Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) or airport crew can also be involved in the racket. We, however, do not have enough evidence to pinpoint anyone,” another DRI official said.
A high-ranking DRI official said smugglers are targeting the Madurai airport as it is the youngest of the four airports in the state to operate international flights.
Customs officials have to beef up checking to prevent it being porous to smugglers, the official said.
