Customs officer held for aiding smuggling at MIA

MANGALURU:

Sleuths

of

Directorate of Revenue Intelligence

(DRI) have

arrested

a

customs

officer on charges of abetting

smuggling

of

gold

at

Mangaluru International Airport

(MIA). With this, the total number of arrests of customs officers carried out by the DRI has gone up to two. While there was no official word from the DRI about the latest arrest, sources in the department of customs confirmed the same to TOI.

The accused is Ashwin N V, who was arrested on October 27 in connection with a case of smuggling detected at MIA on September 20. The sleuths in this particular case had

seized

gold worth Rs 47 lakh from Niyaz Khadar, a resident of Mulleriya in Kasaragod when he arrived here from Dubai. The sleuths had also arrested Srikanth, a customs officer attached to MIA and seized Rs 25 lakh from his residence on that occasion.

Srikanth was nabbed when he was passing on the smuggled gold to Akbar Siddique. The sleuths got wind of Ashwin’s involvement in the case during Siddique’s interrogation, sources in the customs department said, adding strict action will be taken on receipt of a report from the DRI once it is through with its investigation. The department will also launch its own departmental action against the officers in question, the sources added.

The possibility of insiders facilitating gold smuggling out of MIA has not been ruled out. Both these officers had gained employment in the department on compassionate grounds. The department rotates officers at MIA to prevent such developments, the sources added.