4 customs officers in Chennai shifted for nexus with gold smugglers
According to airport sources, the vigilance team had received a tip-off about the kuruvis arriving in Chennai with goods worth Rs 1.5 crore and that they would be evading customs checks.
CHENNAI: The customs department on Saturday repatriated four superintendents posted at Chennai International Airport for failing to apprehend 13 ‘kuruvis’ (couriers) who flew in from Dubai and Singapore with gold and mobile phones worth Rs 1.5 crore and managed to sneak out without customs check on Saturday morning.
The couriers were eventually intercepted and the goods seized by a team of vigilance officers of the customs department.
According to airport sources, the vigilance team had received a tip-off about the kuruvis arriving in Chennai with goods worth Rs 1.5 crore and that they would be evading customs checks.
A vigilance team in civilian clothes stationed themselves near the entrance of the international terminal and intercepted the kuruvis, who initially argued with the vigilance officers, asking why they were being checked again.
Eventually, the vigilance officers informed the Airport police who rushed to the scene. With their intervention, the kuruvis were subjected to thorough checks during which the officers found over 2 kg of gold paste and iPhones in their possession.
An initial probe revealed that some customs officers were part of the smuggling operation and had helped the kuruvis evade checks. The vigilance team then sent a report to their headquarters.
Within hours, the office of the Principal Commissioner of Customs, Chennai, issued an order repatriating customs superintendents Paramanand Jha, Saravanan Adityan, Sunil Dev Singh, and Daljeet Singh from the Chennai International Airport. All four officers have been asked to report to the customs headquarters.