267 kg gold smuggling case finds a BJP connect

CHENNAI: A proclaimed Swayam Sevak with BJP links, now under the scanner of Chennai Customs, was instrumental in getting the shop in the airport transit area for the YouTuber, Mohammed Sabir Ali, who is jailed in the 267 kg gold smuggling case. Sabir Ali entered into a contract with M/s Vidvedaa PRG, in which GA Prithvi was one of the directors. Prithvi is close to several BJP leaders and has served as a personal assistant to a Union Minister of State too. The BJP worker's X account also proudly stated that he is followed by none other than PM Narendra Modi.

What has perturbed the Customs officials is that the businessman whom Prithvi convinced to enter into a partnership last year to float Vidvedaa PRG, is a defence contractor. "We have learnt that the businessman has terminated Prithvi from his official position just a few days before we busted the smuggling ring. We are not aware of the reasons for it," a Customs officer told DT Next.

Customs officials conducted searches at Prithvi's house in the Parrys area on Monday. However, he was not available at home and is abroad. Prithvi did not respond to the message from DT Next.

According to Ali's statement to the Customs, he was approached by a person named Ishan alias Kumar who proposed opening a shop in the transit area of Anna International Airport and financed the establishment of the shop for carrying out outright smuggling of gold.

Vidvedaa PRG was floated in October last year and got the contracts to set up shops in Chennai and Trichy airports. The shop, 'Airhub' was opened on February 22, 2024, with an advance payment of Rs 77.4 lakh. Ishan had instructed the YouTuber, Sabir Ali to contact the Vidvedaa team. "Sabir stated that Prithvi influenced AAI officials to establish the Airhub shop which has brought the attention to him," a Customs officer said. "There is nothing yet to incriminate Prithvi. We will know more only when we inquire him. He is in the US."

Apart from the role of Prithvi which has taken a political turn, Customs officers are also probing the role of AAI authorities who facilitated the strategic setting up of the shop. "The shop is right opposite the toilets in the transit area making it easier for the carriers to hand over the gold to the staff of Air hub, who use their ID cards to get in and out of the airport evading security checks and hand over the gold to the person waiting outside. One thing is for sure. Every rule on paper has been violated," the official said.

The smugglers have built a house for an airport official too, but that's beyond the scope of our investigation for now, customs sources said.

Last Saturday, customs officials busted the smuggling racket that operated right under their noses in which Rs 167 crore worth of gold was smuggled out in the last two months alone. Nine persons including a transit passenger and the owner and staff of the Airhub store were arrested. The shop was just a front, but the actual business was to receive the smuggled gold from transit passengers and pass them over to the receivers outside the airport.

The case had also snowballed into a political slugfest with TNCC president K Selvaperunthagai seeking a CBI inquiry into the gold smuggling racket. Sympathisers of AIADMK and DMK have started trending the issue on social media seeking the intervention of central investigating agencies.