Tiruchy airport nesting ground for kuruvis

According to sources, the kuruvis get ‘hooked’ on the promise of a fat commission. They have no direct contact with the heads of the smugglers’ ring. Once they are identified, the smugglers forward their photograph and other information on WhatsApp to their associates in India. Sources also add that the kuruvis will be taken care of only if they successfully clear Customs and emerge from the airport. If caught, the ‘couriers’ are on their own, with no clue about who passed on the smuggled goods to them. 

“Sometimes, they may be asked to drop the packets in designated spots, like toilets,” says the source. “It has to be timed correctly,” adds the source.

Not merely gold, but even electronic gadgets, household articles, automobile spareparts and drugs are ‘sent’ through these passengers. However, gold is by far the most preferred commodity. 

“The purity of gold in the foreign markets is very high. The couriers may get between Rs 8,000 and Rs 10,000 per trip, but they risk breaking the law for quick returns,” says a source. Often, the price of one sovereign gold (eight grams) is at least Rs 2,000 to Rs 3,000 cheaper compared to the price here. Since the offenders smuggle large quantities of gold, the accumulated gains are staggeringly huge. 

Similarly, the electronic goods and accessories are far cheaper compared to prevailing prices in India, and smugglers make a killing on the margins, with only a fraction of it paid as commission to the carriers. Sources say that the smugglers target workers returning home for holidays. “Many of them fall prey to the sugar-coated words of the smugglers for the extra money with which they can buy things for their family,” adds the source. 

I was one of those who was lured by the promise of quick gains by the ‘agents’. Once we agreed to the deal, we were under their custody the day before the journey. They were experts in making the gold into any shape. I once saw gold shaped like an apparel button. It was polished smooth, so that it would slide through the intestines when swallowed. Each piece could not have weighed more than 30 grams. 

After swallowing these gold pieces, couriers like me had to eat very little; physical discomfort is acute. Once we reach the destination, the associates of the smugglers would take us to a designated place. 

Until they extricate all the consumed gold pieces through the natural process, we cannot leave. Sometimes, it would take anywhere between five and seven days. Until all the swallowed gold is retrieved, one cannot go anywhere.