New Delhi: A resident of Sirsa, Haryana, on Saturday registered an FIR against some customs officials alleging that about 1 kg of gold , worth around Rs 30 lakh, which he was carrying from Bangkok was illegally confiscated from him at the airport.
The incident took place on August 28 last year when the complainant Rakesh Godara, arrived at IGI airport from Bangkok around 2.10am. In his complaint to the IGI police, Godara said that he was carrying 926.82 grams of gold with him which he intended to carry along after paying the duty at customs office.
“According to the complainant, a man started following him when he got off the aircraft. When he reached the immigration counter, the man approached him and asked him if he was carrying gold. To this, Godara’s reply was affirmative,” said a senior police officer.
Police said that Godara told them in his complaint that the man introduced himself as a customs officer and said that he would not be able to carry the gold out of the airport without paying double duty else he would be arrested. “After hearing this, Godara got scared. The man then offered to carry Godara’s bag for him up to the red channel and hand it over once he exits the airport,” the police said.
The complainant mentioned that the man then asked him to go and stand near a toilet. After about an hour, Godara returned to the counter where he said that the man refused to return the gold.
Initial investigations have revealed that the man was carrying four slabs of gold, out of which three were declared as unclaimed gold found in a toilet at the terminal, by customs officials.
“A case has been registered and the incident is being probed from all the possible angles. We will question the officers and the victim to establish sequence of incidents. Details of the case are being looked into,” said a senior police officer.
