Gold Smuggling Continued Unabated in Indian Airports

SEATTLE (Scrap Monster): The smuggling of gold continues unabated in the South Indian state of Kerala, despite Covid-19 pandemic, said Customs Department officials. The state continues to be a leading hub for gold smuggling into the country.

According to officials, nearly 5.5 kilograms of gold were seized from flights that arrived at various airports in the state over the past six days. A total of six cases were registered in the past 48 hours alone. Majority of the cases were reported at Calicut and Kannur international airports.

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It must be noted that flight services from foreign countries had resumed recently, after easing of lockdown restrictions. The officials observed that smugglers are taking advantage of the situation by eyeing people returning to their country on losing their jobs to be used as carriers for shipping gold. Smugglers offered them free air tickets in addition to remuneration. Also, smugglers tend to take risk on assumptions that there will be limited baggage checking during these troubled times.

Official data suggests that the state consumes nearly one-third of the total gold imported by the country during a year. Alarmingly, approximately 30% of the state’s gold demand is met by smuggled gold.