The Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) detained two individuals Sunday in a crackdown on gold smuggling at Mumbai’s Air Cargo Complex, including an airport employee who was found in possession of four kilograms of gold valued at Rs 4.64 crores hidden behind his waist belt.
The DRI detained Mohammed Arif Ansari (50), his handler, and Arfat Qureshi (30), a Byculla resident and airport employee in South Mumbai.
Citing a continuing investigation to track down further gang members, hawala operators, and purchasers of the smuggled gold, thought to be a part of a broader international network, DRI public prosecutor Shyamrishi Phatak requested 14 days of judicial detention. Both have been placed in judicial detention after being prosecuted under the Customs Act. The 24th insider detained this year for smuggling gold is Qureshi.
Around 7:15 a.m. on October 12, DRI officers detained Qureshi, a worker with AI Airport Services Limited (AIASL), at the Air Cargo Complex’s Sahar exit gate based on specific intelligence. Officers found four rectangular, yellow gold bars concealed under his belt and wrapped in cellophane during his personal search. A government-approved valuer subsequently verified that the gold, which was marked “AHK1”, “AHK2”, “ID1”, and “ID2”, was 24-carat and weighed 3,941 grams.
Additionally, it was noted that Qureshi, going as Arfat Kureshi, also had an Aerodrome Entry Permit Pass. He said that he works for the AIASL in International Cargo, CSMI Airport, Mumbai, as a Customer Service Executive (CSE).
During questioning, Qureshi acknowledged that he had, at the direction of a significant syndicate member, taken the gold out of a motion sickness bag that had been left in the overhead cabin of Ethiopian Airlines flight ET-640. He also admitted to employing identical techniques to smuggle gold on previous occasions.
Ansari was scheduled to pick up the stolen gold from Qureshi, but after further interrogation, he was identified and taken into custody. Under Section 108 of the Customs Act of 1962, both defendants voluntarily admitted their involvement in the smuggling scheme.
A duty evasion of almost Rs 1.62 crore resulted from the unlawful importation of the gold into India, according to DRI. The operation is indicative of a “deep-rooted plot involving an organized syndicate with possibly overseas linkages,” according to officials.