Mumbai: After a recent spate of gold smuggling incidents involving Jet Airways staffers, this time it’s a senior Etihad employee who was caught working hand in glove with a gold smuggler. The fact that even a senior official, an airline security manager at that, was involved in smuggling has alarmed Customs officials, who have now begun to question the integrity of private airlines’ security.
On Monday morning, the Etihad flight EY 212 (Abu Dhabi-Mumbai) landed in the city at 8.25 am, and one of the passengers, Sunil Jagwani emerged from the plane carrying gold bars concealed in a cigarette packet. Around 8.50 am, Jagwani was spotted handing over the package to Etihad’s security manager, Deepak Golani, who is in charge of all Etihad flights operating out of Mumbai.
Golani was to clear the yellow metal out of the terminal, but the Air Intelligence Unit (AIU) of Mumbai Customs caught him and Jagwani at the arrival hall itself. The recovered foreign-marked gold bars and cut biscuits weighed over 1.34 kg and are valued at Rs 33.08 lakh. The flier, Jagwani also admitted to handing over gold to Golani on four earlier occasions.
At first, Golani denied any connection with the flier, but using WhatsApp messages, phone call records and CCTV footage, the AIU confirmed that the duo had worked together in the past. “Golani clearly denied they had any connection with each other. Only after thorough investigations was their connection confirmed. It was through call records that Golani was confirmed to be acting as a helper in the case,” explained a Customs official.
15/07/15 Neha LM Tripathi/Mid Day
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On Monday morning, the Etihad flight EY 212 (Abu Dhabi-Mumbai) landed in the city at 8.25 am, and one of the passengers, Sunil Jagwani emerged from the plane carrying gold bars concealed in a cigarette packet. Around 8.50 am, Jagwani was spotted handing over the package to Etihad’s security manager, Deepak Golani, who is in charge of all Etihad flights operating out of Mumbai.
Golani was to clear the yellow metal out of the terminal, but the Air Intelligence Unit (AIU) of Mumbai Customs caught him and Jagwani at the arrival hall itself. The recovered foreign-marked gold bars and cut biscuits weighed over 1.34 kg and are valued at Rs 33.08 lakh. The flier, Jagwani also admitted to handing over gold to Golani on four earlier occasions.
At first, Golani denied any connection with the flier, but using WhatsApp messages, phone call records and CCTV footage, the AIU confirmed that the duo had worked together in the past. “Golani clearly denied they had any connection with each other. Only after thorough investigations was their connection confirmed. It was through call records that Golani was confirmed to be acting as a helper in the case,” explained a Customs official.
15/07/15 Neha LM Tripathi/Mid Day
