KOCHI: Gold smuggling incidents through major airports in the state continue to baffle law enforcement agencies and commoners alike with each case heading for a dead end, despite the arrest of a slew of mules in the rackets.
A senior Customs official told ‘Customstoday’ the smuggling will not cease unless the government announces a major policy decision regarding the slashing of import duty on gold consignments.
Even if the state government slashes duty on gold, the smuggling will continue to an extent as black money is largely involved in the illegal trade.
According to Special Intelligence and Investigation Branch (SIIB) officials probing the cases, the case file on Muvattupuzha gold smuggling syndicate may be closed with the arrest of three more absconding smugglers. Of the 2,000 kg gold smuggled into the state through the Cochin airport, the enforcement agencies have failed to seize a single gold bar, despite the arrest of 37 gold smugglers.
Kochi has shot to the top in terms of highest number of gold smuggling incidents registered in the state in the first five months of the current fiscal. According to the data available with the Cochin Customs, the Customs enforcement agencies in Kochi have registered 60 gold smuggling cases in the first five months of this fiscal, seizing around 72.87 kg of gold, valuing around Rs 19.31 crore, from the airport. The sleuths earned Rs 71 lakh as duty on gold during this time.
At the same time, Kozhikode, a hub of gold smugglers in the state down the years, has come down to the second position with 26 cases registered during the period and Thiruvanathapuram continues third with nine cases during the period.
This shows that seizure of gold and the arrests are no longer a determent to dissuade perpetrators from committing the crime, said officials.
The amount of gold seized by the Customs is only a fragment of the bullion that is actually being brought into the state, the reason why smuggling goes on even after the seizure, they said.
Gold stats
■ Kochi have registered 60 gold smuggling cases in the first five months of this fiscal
■ Officials seizied around 72.87 kg of gold, valuing around Rs 19.31 crore, from the airport. The sleuths earned Rs 71 lakh as duty on gold during this time
■ Kozhikode, a hub of gold smugglers in the state down the years, has come down to the second position with 26 cases registered. Thiruvanathapuram continues third with nine cases
