In a report -- Smuggling in India Report 2021 -- which was released by Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Monday, the government agency said it had always risen to the challenge and made great inroads into breaking the gold smuggling syndicates over the years.
Based on secret information, officers of the Kochi Customs department nabbed the travellers, identified as Syed Abuthahir and Barakaththullah A, who hail from Ramanathapuram in Tamil Nadu and were travelling in the name of Vasudevan and Arul Selvam respectively.
The Customs officials at Indira Gandhi International Airport in Delhi arrested a passenger with gold worth Rs. 69 lakh concealed in a mixer on Thursday.
The Customs air intelligence unit at Chennai airport on Wednesday foiled another smuggling attempt by smugglers and apprehended two passengers who arrived from Muscat, Oman.
The police have identified the arrested persons as main accused Mohammed Khaja Mohiuddin, Rayees Ahmed Sayeed Hussain Lanka, Sarim Hussain, and Fouzan from the City College X Road, Hyderabad.
The Customs Air Intelligent Unit, Delhi recently booked three passengers, allegedly smuggling gold worth more than Rs two crores concealed in the pockets of a body shaper belt in the Indira Gandhi International Airport, officials said.
The rejoinder affidavit was filed by the ED on its plea seeking transfer of gold smuggling case from the Kerala to Karnataka. ED filed its rejoinder opposing the Kerala Government plea which had opposed agency's plea to transfer the case from one state to another.
Former principal secretary to the Kerala CMO, M Sivasankar, approached the Central Administrative Tribunal challenging the order of the State Government which suspended him from service from 2020 July 17.
Kerala BJP leader KS Radhakrishnan on Monday sought legal action against ministers of Communist Party of India (Marxist) for allegedly misbehaving with Swapna Suresh, who is the prime accused in the Gold Smuggling case.