Ahmedabad: At the Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport in the city, there have been attempts to smuggle in more than one quintal of gold over the past three years.
According to the data of the Union finance ministry, 123.155 kg of smuggled gold was seized by the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) from 2013-14 to 2015-16.
The figures indicate 104 instances of gold seizures at the airport during the period.
In 2013-14, the agency confiscated 33.823 kg gold at the airport in 25 seizures. Seizures doubled to 51 in 2014-15 in which 56.812 kg gold was seized.
A decrease in seizures was reported in 2015-16, relative to the cases of 2014-15. In 2015-16, 32.52 kg gold was confiscated in 28 seizures.
The city airport became a favourite entry point for gold smugglers and carriers after the central government raised customs duty on imports of the precious metal to 10%, said sources in the DRI.
Restrictions on gold imports came into force in June 2013, but the number of smuggling cases peaked in the following two years. Over 90% of the carriers and smugglers who were caught had come from places in the Middle East such as Dubai, Sharjah, and Abu Dhabi. "The huge difference of Rs 1.5 lakh to Rs 2 lakh in the price of gold in India and the Middle East makes it lucrative to smuggle in gold," said a source.
13/02/17 Ashish Chauhani/Times of India
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According to the data of the Union finance ministry, 123.155 kg of smuggled gold was seized by the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) from 2013-14 to 2015-16.
The figures indicate 104 instances of gold seizures at the airport during the period.
In 2013-14, the agency confiscated 33.823 kg gold at the airport in 25 seizures. Seizures doubled to 51 in 2014-15 in which 56.812 kg gold was seized.
A decrease in seizures was reported in 2015-16, relative to the cases of 2014-15. In 2015-16, 32.52 kg gold was confiscated in 28 seizures.
The city airport became a favourite entry point for gold smugglers and carriers after the central government raised customs duty on imports of the precious metal to 10%, said sources in the DRI.
Restrictions on gold imports came into force in June 2013, but the number of smuggling cases peaked in the following two years. Over 90% of the carriers and smugglers who were caught had come from places in the Middle East such as Dubai, Sharjah, and Abu Dhabi. "The huge difference of Rs 1.5 lakh to Rs 2 lakh in the price of gold in India and the Middle East makes it lucrative to smuggle in gold," said a source.
13/02/17 Ashish Chauhani/Times of India
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