CISF foils Rs 2 cr gold smuggling attempt at Chennai airport, two held

The confiscated 3.9 kilograms of gold paste valued at approximately Rs 2 crores, were handed over to customs officials for further legal action, an official said

In a significant security operation, the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) at Chennai Airport thwarted an attempt to smuggle a substantial quantity of gold. The incident occurred on September 19, 2023, at approximately 5:00 am and allegedly involved a staff member of AAISL (Airline Allied Services Limited), an official statement from the CISF said on Tuesday.

The vigilant CISF surveillance and intelligence staff at Chennai Airport became suspicious of the actions of a AAISL staff member identified as Sanjay D. He was observed moving towards International Boarding Gate No. 9A from the washroom located in the Boarding Gate area. Acting swiftly on their instincts, the CISF personnel intercepted Sanjay and conducted a thorough security check, the statement further said.

During the physical examination, the security team allegedly uncovered a hidden stash of gold. The concealed gold was in paste form and comprised four oval-shaped packets, four rectangular-shaped packets, and three plastic packets. In total, the seized gold weighed approximately 3.9 kilograms, the statement said.

Upon questioning, Sanjay allegedly admitted to receiving the gold in paste form from an international transit passenger. The passenger in question was identified as Mohamed Nisthar Aboosaly, a Sri Lankan national. Aboosaly had arrived from Dubai on Indigo Flight No. 6E 1472 and was scheduled to continue his journey to Colombo on September 20, 2023, via Indigo Flight No. 6E 1171, the statement further said.

CISF personnel promptly intercepted Aboosaly based on the CCTV footage and alerted the customs officials. Subsequently, Aboosaly and Sanjay, along with the confiscated 3.9 kilograms of gold paste valued at approximately Rs 2 crores, were handed over to customs officials for further legal action, it said.

In an earlier operation at Mumbai airport, the CISF successfully intercepted and apprehended two passengers attempting to smuggle approximately 2.5 kilograms of gold paste valued at around Rs 1.3 crore, officials said.

The incident occurred in the early hours of September 12, 2023, when CISF surveillance and intelligence staff at Terminal-2, CSMI Airport, Mumbai, noticed suspicious behavior from a passenger near the glass partition between domestic boarding gate No. 86 and 87 on Level 3. The passenger was placed under both electronic and physical surveillance, they said.

During the course of surveillance, a black pouch was observed being thrown from the glass partition situated at International boarding gate No. 86 on Level 4. This prompted further investigation, an official said.

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