PNS|Vijayawada
The Vijayawada Customs (Preventive) Commissionerate has successfully dismantled a gold smuggling operation involving gold sourced from Dubai and Sri Lanka. Principal Commissioner CC(P) Vijayawada, P Sriram, announced the interception and seizure of smuggled gold valued at Rs 6.4 crore.
At the Bollapalli Toll Plaza, officials from the Customs (Preventive) Commissionerate, Vijayawada, apprehended an individual transporting smuggled gold in a car en route from Chennai to Vijayawada. The operation resulted in the confiscation of approximately 4.3 kilograms of gold. The foreign markings on the gold had been intentionally erased to conceal its illicit origin.
As part of the operation, customs officers subsequently conducted a thorough search of the suspect’s premises, where they discovered an additional 6.8 kilograms of gold jewelry, alongside various foreign currencies, including Kuwait Dinar, Qatar Riyal, and Oman Rial, collectively valued at Rs. 1.5 lakhs. The individual responsible for smuggling the gold has been arrested in accordance with the provisions of the Customs Act 1962. He has been remanded to judicial custody for a period of 13 days by the Court of Special Judge for Economic Offences in Visakhapatnam.
Commissioner Sriram emphasised the persistent challenges faced by Customs authorities in tracking down the intricate networks involved in gold smuggling. He noted that smuggled gold often undergoes alterations, including defacement and melting, to remove foreign markings before being distributed to inland regions.
Furthermore, Commissioner Sriram disclosed that the Vijayawada Customs (Preventive) Commissionerate has seized a total of 70 kg of smuggled gold valued at approximately Rs. 40 crore during the fiscal years 2022-23 and 2023-24.
