DRI seizes 20kg gold worth Rs 15 crore from 25 flyers at Chennai airport

CHENNAI: In a major gold haul after a hiatus at Chennai airport, the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) sleuths seized nearly 20 kg of gold from as many as 25 flyers arriving from Singapore on three different flights, in an overnight operation that lasted until the early hours of Monday.
The seized gold was in the form of a chain and 22 karat in value, and is said to be worth Rs 15 crore in the market, said DRI sources.
Based on specific information that gold was being smuggled from Singapore, DRI sleuths camped at Chennai International Airport and intercepted flyers arriving on flights of Scoot Airways, Air India, and Indigo Airlines.
DRI sleuths identified some passengers from all three flights carrying gold and detained them. Two passengers carried gold weighing above 1 kg, while others were detained in possession of gold up to 600 grams.
Preliminary inquiries revealed that the flyers belonged to different gangs, and they were handed over to the Air Intelligence Unit of the Chennai Customs for further investigation.
The possibility of connivance of customs officers on duty is also being probed, as 25 flyers carried gold on the same night. Further investigation is ongoing.