Kochi: Indications of smugglers using foreign nationals as gold carriers seem to be emerging with the arrest of an Irish national with 10 kilos of gold.
The fact that Edwin Andrews had flown to Kochi on three occasions earlier in connection with gold smuggling has come as a shocker to the Customs department, which is not ruling out a likely spin-off in the trail of Gulf-based rackets smuggling gold to Kerala.
The department, however, had prior information about the possibility of smuggling rackets shifting their focus from frequent travellers from Kerala to a new batch of carriers.
“We have almost plugged the conventional routes of smuggling and have been working on the assumption of them resorting to new batch of carriers. However, this is the first time that a European is being caught in Kerala in this connection’’, said a senior official.
During interrogation, the person named a few, who have been under the Custom’s radar for sometime now. Further, he also explained in detail about the new trend of foreigners falling for the lure of easy money offered by these smuggling rackets.
15/07/15 Hiran Unnikrishnan/The Hindu
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The fact that Edwin Andrews had flown to Kochi on three occasions earlier in connection with gold smuggling has come as a shocker to the Customs department, which is not ruling out a likely spin-off in the trail of Gulf-based rackets smuggling gold to Kerala.
The department, however, had prior information about the possibility of smuggling rackets shifting their focus from frequent travellers from Kerala to a new batch of carriers.
“We have almost plugged the conventional routes of smuggling and have been working on the assumption of them resorting to new batch of carriers. However, this is the first time that a European is being caught in Kerala in this connection’’, said a senior official.
During interrogation, the person named a few, who have been under the Custom’s radar for sometime now. Further, he also explained in detail about the new trend of foreigners falling for the lure of easy money offered by these smuggling rackets.
15/07/15 Hiran Unnikrishnan/The Hindu
