A smuggling racket involving airport housekeeping contract staff  has been busted by Chennai air customs. Based on  information that gold was likely to be smuggled by a passenger arriving from Dubai by flight 6E 8497, surveillance was maintained by AIU officers in transit area. One airport janitor  was noticed going inside the toilet and he was followed and  was caught while he was retrieving two black bundles from a waste bucket . On cut opening the bundles three gold paste packets weighing 2 kg  were recovered. On extraction 1.81 Kg of gold valued at  Rs. 93.2 lakhs was recovered and seized under Customs Act. 

The suspect passenger Sheikhussman,35, of Trichy was intercepted at the exit. The janitor was identified from his airport entry pass as one Gnanasekar,31, employee of  M/s Service Master Clean Limited (SMCL),Chennai which is providing housekeeping services at airport. On questioning he informed that one Shankar  his colleague told him to collect the bundles from transit toilet on orders from Kumar his boss who is working as a  Supervisor in  M/s  SMCL.  The passenger received a call from someone outside the airpot who had come to receive him.  He was taken out  and the receiver was apprehended when he approached him.  He was  identified as one Syed Ibrahim Shah,21, of Chennai. Kumar who was not at the airport was apprehended later on. Kumar is the  mastermind of this smuggling racket.  All five have been arrested.

In another case based on information  Etihad Airways flight EY-268 which arrived from Abu Dhabi was rummaged. Three bundles were recovered from the two toilets in aircraft during rummaging. On cut opening 4 gold bars of 1 kg each with foreign markings and 3  rectangular gold  plates totally weighing 5.1 kg valued at Rs. 2.63 Crore were recovered and seized as unclaimed.

8941464. 6.9  Kg gold worth Rs 3.6  Crore seized by Customs at Chennai Airport.

   Further investigation is under process, according to a press release issued by the Commissioner of Customs Chennai International Airport. Chennai.

(Release ID: 1672698) Visitor Counter : 118