VASCO: Alert sleuths of Goa Customs thwarted another major attempt to smuggle gold through Dabolim Airport on Monday night.
The Goa Customs successfully recovered 1,538 grams gold bars valued at Rs 57.67 lakh approximately. Sources from the Goa Customs informed that these gold bars were concealed in the check-in baggage of a passenger.
Sources informed that on Monday, again the officers of Customs, Goa headed by Y B Sahare, assistant commissioner, Air Intelligence Unit; Juliet, assistant commissioner under the supervision of Pradnyasheel Jumle, joint commissioner apprehended an international passenger (name withheld), resident of Bhatkal, Karnataka, who had arrived from Dubai to Goa via Muscat on an Oman Air flight number WY0209 and recovered 1,538 grams of gold bars valued at Rs 57.67 lakh.
The said gold bars were concealed in the check-in baggage of the passenger and were seized under the provisions of the Customs Act, 1962.
Sources revealed that the total value of gold seized by Air Intelligence Unit officers of Customs, Goa in the financial year 2019-20, till date is Rs 3.43 crore approximately.
The whole exercise was conducted under the overall guidance of Mihir Ranjan, Commissioner of Customs, Goa. Further investigation is under progress.
It may be recalled that on Sunday, the officers of Air Intelligence Unit had seized three gold bars weighing 2,976 grams valued at Rs 1,11,58,884, from the rear toilet of the aircraft Air India Flight AI-994.