In an utterly shocking incident, a souvenir shop at Chennai International Airport was found to be embroiled in a gold smuggling scam. The souvenir shop rented out by a YouTuber in the department lounge of the airport was used for smuggling 267 kg of gold worth ₹167 crore by Sri Lankan gold smugglers.
Chennai Airport Souvenir Shop Was A Front For Gold Smuggling
A report by Times Now throws more light on this concerning incident involving Chennai Airport, a souvenir shop and Sri Lankan gold smugglers. Chennai Customs stated on June 29 that they were able to successfully bust a massive gold smuggling racket at Chennai Airport. The owner, Sabir Ali and its employees managed to smuggle 267kg of gold worth ₹167 crore in two months.
They were assisted by a Sri Lankan passenger. The shop selling souvenirs and toys at the airport had a contract with Vidvedaa PRG. This is a company which took shops on lease within the airport premises. The Customs discovered this racket when the officials arrested a sales executive of Airhub. The sales executive hid 850 gm of gold paste in his rectum while leaving the airport.
As per a report by The New Indian Express, the officials of the Air Intelligence Unit (AIU) found that he received the gold from a Sri Lankan transit passenger. This passenger smuggled the gold from Abu Dhabi on the order of another Sri Lankan citizen living there. Transit flyers to Sri Lanka had a stop-over at Chennai Airport for 16 to 23 hours.
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Employees Of Airhub Caught With Gold In Powder & Paste Form
At a toilet or the shop, this gold paste would be transferred to Airhub’s employees. They will conceal it in their rectum and hand this to the receiver outside the airport. Sources revealed to TNIE that Airhub employees were recruited by a syndicate for hiding the gold in their rectum. Over the past two months, they successfully smuggled many bundles containing 267kg of gold worth ₹167 crore.
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YouTuber Sabir Ali rented the souvenir shop as a front. And he employed even employees to manage the shop. A few days ago, some people from the Customs Department’s air intelligence unit found an employee of the souvenir shop to be suspicious. On frisking the employee, they found gold on him in powder form. The officer found both the employee and the transit passenger carrying gold powder in their rectum.
What’s happened at Chennai Airport is extremely concerning. We hope the authorities take struct actions against the violators.
Cover Image Courtesy: Wikimedia Commons
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