Search for gold smugglers in Rampur
– Photo: Video Grab
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The Customs Department team caught 36 gold smugglers who had reached Lucknow Amausi Airport from Sharjah on the morning of April 1 and recovered cigarettes worth Rs 3.2 crore from their possession. During interrogation, it was revealed that 30 accused had also brought gold hidden in their stomachs. The next day, 29 accused escaped from Customs custody on the pretext of being unwell.
All these accused are residents of Tanda area of Rampur. After registering a case against all the accused, on Thursday, Customs officials from Lucknow in three vehicles raided Tanda. Here, most of the houses of the accused were found locked.
Customs Department’s Assistant Commissioner AK Singh has lodged a report against 36 smugglers including Kashif at Sarojini Nagar police station. Eight officials of the Custom Department have been suspended in this case. The Customs team along with Tanda police conducted a raid in search of gold smugglers who fled from Lucknow.
However, no smuggler was found. Not only this, the family members of the accused have also locked themselves and fled away. Most of the 36 gold smugglers caught at Lucknow’s Amausi Airport are residents of Tanda. Youths of Tanda from Gulf countries are smuggling gold across the country.
Gold smugglers come from Gulf countries by swallowing gold pills and after coming here, take out the gold from the stomach. A young man swallows about 50 to 60 grams of gold, which is worth Rs 3 to 4 lakh. According to customs officials, 29 smugglers had escaped from the airport. While others are in the custody of Customs.
When he was interrogated, a smuggler confessed that he had 50 grams of smuggled gold in his stomach, which was recovered by the Customs. Tanda Kotwali in-charge Surendra Singh Pachauri told that the team of Custom Department had come from Lucknow, what was the matter is not known. Police was sent from the police station, the team returned back to Lucknow in the evening.