MUMBAI: The Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) has busted a gold smuggling racket and arrested six persons, including an IndiGo employee and two gold melters from Kalbadevi. The officials seized 7.5kg of gold dust, cash and silver coins with a total value of Rs 4.51 crore.
The accused have been identified as IndiGo employee Umer Moin Shaikh (26), Zameer Gani Tambe (23), Yaser Dafedar (27), Mohit Basantlal Lotwani and gold melters Armratlal alias Lakshman (54) and his son Kishore Lakshman (29). The officials said that the gang has been smuggling gold into India and, in return, sending foreign exchange to Dubai.
DRI officials on Saturday received a specific intelligence input that a passenger arriving from Dubai would be smuggling gold and leaving it under a particular seat of the aircraft. The tip-off also said that one of the ground staff of the airline would pick up the gold packet. Soon after the flight landed at Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport, the DRI intercepted Shaikh, the security executive of the airline. His personal search resulted in the recovery of two black packets containing 1.7 kg of gold concealed in his shoes.
Shaikh said that a passenger with seat number 22F had left the packet and the instruction was to pick it up and hand it over to one Dafedar (one of the arrested accused) outside the airport. “We searched the passenger, Zameer Tambe, who had arrived from Dubai, and arrested him,” said an official. Further investigation revealed that one Sajid from Dubai had explained to Dafedar how the gold would be sent through a passenger (Tambe) and how the airline employee would smuggle it out of the Mumbai airport. Shaikh was to get Rs 50,000 for the job. Shaikh told investigators that he regularly picked up such packets on instructions of Sajid and handed them over to Dafedar. Officials identified Dafedar who told that one Adil Momin was to collect the gold and hand it over to gold melters.
Shaikh revealed that he was also to recover gold from a passenger, Mohit Bashumal Lotwani, who had arrived from Phuket. The agency intercepted Lotwani and from him, they recovered 1.7 kg of gold dust hidden inside his trousers. Officials raided Lakshman’s melting facility at Kalbadevi and seized gold bangles weighing 4,288 grams, 20 beads purported to be rhodium plated, and Rs 3.32 lakh cash.
The accused have been identified as IndiGo employee Umer Moin Shaikh (26), Zameer Gani Tambe (23), Yaser Dafedar (27), Mohit Basantlal Lotwani and gold melters Armratlal alias Lakshman (54) and his son Kishore Lakshman (29). The officials said that the gang has been smuggling gold into India and, in return, sending foreign exchange to Dubai.
DRI officials on Saturday received a specific intelligence input that a passenger arriving from Dubai would be smuggling gold and leaving it under a particular seat of the aircraft. The tip-off also said that one of the ground staff of the airline would pick up the gold packet. Soon after the flight landed at Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport, the DRI intercepted Shaikh, the security executive of the airline. His personal search resulted in the recovery of two black packets containing 1.7 kg of gold concealed in his shoes.
Shaikh said that a passenger with seat number 22F had left the packet and the instruction was to pick it up and hand it over to one Dafedar (one of the arrested accused) outside the airport. “We searched the passenger, Zameer Tambe, who had arrived from Dubai, and arrested him,” said an official. Further investigation revealed that one Sajid from Dubai had explained to Dafedar how the gold would be sent through a passenger (Tambe) and how the airline employee would smuggle it out of the Mumbai airport. Shaikh was to get Rs 50,000 for the job. Shaikh told investigators that he regularly picked up such packets on instructions of Sajid and handed them over to Dafedar. Officials identified Dafedar who told that one Adil Momin was to collect the gold and hand it over to gold melters.
Shaikh revealed that he was also to recover gold from a passenger, Mohit Bashumal Lotwani, who had arrived from Phuket. The agency intercepted Lotwani and from him, they recovered 1.7 kg of gold dust hidden inside his trousers. Officials raided Lakshman’s melting facility at Kalbadevi and seized gold bangles weighing 4,288 grams, 20 beads purported to be rhodium plated, and Rs 3.32 lakh cash.
