Bangalore: Gold smuggling is booming. On Tuesday, customs officers at Mangalore International Airport seized 2.19 kg of smuggled gold worth nearly Rs 66 lakh. In the last 15 days, due to a special customs drive, gold worth more than Rs 1 crore has been seized at the Mangalore airport.
Speaking to Bangalore Mirror, a customs official said, "The kingpins are often not known. The facilitators are suspected to be based in Kasargod."
However, the smugglers are also becoming smarter these days. According to a source, travel agencies that book air tickets play an important role in the whole business. Perpetrators are taught to tackle customs officials. Before passengers board a flight, the agents send their photographs through mobile phones to associates back in India. Their men wait outside the airport or at places decided in advance to collect the gold.
05/02/14 Deepthi Sridhar/Bangalore Mirror
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Speaking to Bangalore Mirror, a customs official said, "The kingpins are often not known. The facilitators are suspected to be based in Kasargod."
However, the smugglers are also becoming smarter these days. According to a source, travel agencies that book air tickets play an important role in the whole business. Perpetrators are taught to tackle customs officials. Before passengers board a flight, the agents send their photographs through mobile phones to associates back in India. Their men wait outside the airport or at places decided in advance to collect the gold.
05/02/14 Deepthi Sridhar/Bangalore Mirror
