Chennai: Customs officials quite literally hit pay dirt on Wednesday, when they found 7 kg of gold in a dustbin, just outside the aerobridge attached to Gate No 13, at the Chennai International Airport. This is the latest in a series of stash-and-recover heists employed by gold smugglers, to escape being detected while clearing immigration and customs.
This particular consignment had six gold bars weighing a kilo each, fastened with white plastic duct tape and 10 small pieces weighing 100 grams each that had been twisted and set to sit inside two Dairy Milk chocolate packs — items that would look innocuous in a trash can. Customs officials are poring over CCTV footage to try and identify who dropped the gold, before they were tipped off and recovered it first.
Last week, the same sleuths had recovered 1,300 grams of gold hidden in a drain, inside the men’s toilet, in the arrival hall. “Once they leave it at a pre-determined or even impromptu hiding place, they can walk out without trouble. Soon, their accomplice would recover the gold and walk out of the airport with it, through other channels,” said Agarwal.
22/05/14 Daniel Thimmayya/New Indian Express
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This particular consignment had six gold bars weighing a kilo each, fastened with white plastic duct tape and 10 small pieces weighing 100 grams each that had been twisted and set to sit inside two Dairy Milk chocolate packs — items that would look innocuous in a trash can. Customs officials are poring over CCTV footage to try and identify who dropped the gold, before they were tipped off and recovered it first.
Last week, the same sleuths had recovered 1,300 grams of gold hidden in a drain, inside the men’s toilet, in the arrival hall. “Once they leave it at a pre-determined or even impromptu hiding place, they can walk out without trouble. Soon, their accomplice would recover the gold and walk out of the airport with it, through other channels,” said Agarwal.
22/05/14 Daniel Thimmayya/New Indian Express
