Latest news with #AIU)ofCustoms
Time of India
7 days ago
- Time of India
Customs arrest airline staff for smuggling gold at Mumbai airport
Mumbai: The Air Intelligence Unit (AIU) of Customs arrested a ground staff member of SpiceJet airline while he was taking out 3kg of smuggled gold handed over to him by a transit passenger. He is the 30th insider staffer of the airport arrested in the gold smuggling case in the last seven months. On Monday, the AIU arrested an airport catering staff member, Allysis Alvares, for carrying four wax capsules containing 24KT gold dust weighing 1,572 grams, worth Rs 1.39 crore. Last month, the DRI arrested a golf cart operator who aided the gold syndicate in smuggling out 7.5kg of gold worth Rs 6 crore. Based on spot profiling, the AIU of Customs intercepted Ramesh Rao (26), a ground staff member of SpiceJet, who was trying to sneak out of the exit gate of the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport. The officials stopped him, and a thorough examination resulted in the recovery of six oval-shaped pieces containing gold dust cleverly concealed in a customised waist belt. The officials said that upon examination of the seized gold dust, it was found to be 24 carat, weighing 3.2kg, and worth Rs 2.78 crore. Upon confrontation, Rao admitted to carrying the gold dust handed over to him by a transit passenger. Rao also admitted that the gold smuggling syndicate offered him a handsome amount of money, for which he took the risk. Rao, who was arrested under the Customs Act, was produced before the local court, which remanded him to judicial custody. Advocate Prabhakar Tripathi, appearing for the accused, said, "The alleged goods were found unclaimed at the airport premises, and the present accused has been falsely implicated. The arrest is solely based on a so-called submission, and the recovery shown is nothing but a foisted one." Officials are trying to identify the transit passenger who handed over the contraband to Rao. You Can Also Check: Mumbai AQI | Weather in Mumbai | Bank Holidays in Mumbai | Public Holidays in Mumbai Stay updated with the latest local news from your city on Times of India (TOI). Check upcoming bank holidays , public holidays , and current gold rates and s ilver prices in your area.
Time of India
10-07-2025
- Time of India
7 flyers held for smuggling in 33cr weed from Bangkok
Mumbai: The Air Intelligence Unit (AIU) of Customs on Wednesday arrested seven flyers, including a couple, for allegedly smuggling 33kg of hydroponic weed, valued at around Rs 33 crore, into India. The arrested accused have been identified as Aqsa Ansari, Yuraj Singh, Taranjeet Singh, Athaur Rahman, Javed Shaikh and his wife Farah, and Munnawar Ansari. Acting on specific intelligence, AIU officers intercepted the passengers shortly after they arrived from Bangkok. All seven accused were booked under relevant sections of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act and were produced before a local court, which remanded them to judicial custody. Further investigations are underway. In a related drug bust in Navi Mumbai, two alleged narcotic dealers and seven of their associates were arrested by the Anti-Narcotics Cell (ANC) last week. The ANC team recovered 120gm of heroin, estimated to be worth Rs 47 lakh, in a raid on a lodge in CBD-Belapur on July 4. All the arrested persons hail from Punjab, police said. — S Ahmed Ali & George Mendonca You Can Also Check: Mumbai AQI | Weather in Mumbai | Bank Holidays in Mumbai | Public Holidays in Mumbai
Time of India
22-06-2025
- Time of India
In separate instances, two employees at Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International airport arrested for smuggling gold worth Rs 4.2 crore
Mumbai: Customs arrested two airport employees including the manager of a food court at Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International airport Mumbai for smuggling around 5 kg of gold dust worth Rs 4.24 crore, in separate incidents. In the first incident the Air Intelligence Unit (AIU) of Customs intercepted Mohammed Amir Doctor, a staffer of AI Airport Services Limited (AIASL) near the family washroom in front of the Immigration counter at the departure hall. As he was suspiciously moving the AIU officials detained and carried a search, resulting in recovery of 4 capsules purported to be gold dust. On interrogations, Doctor told officials that a transit passenger handed him over this contraband. Similarly another airport staffer (CDP employee) identified as Kushilal Yadav was also found loitering near the washroom at the immigration counter. The officials detained him and carried out a search resulting in recovery of 3,067 grams of gold dust worth Rs 1.39 crores. Customs officials placed both of them under arrest under Customs Act and intimated the airport authorities.
