Renting a shop at the airport and smuggling the yellow metal with ease was the modus operandi of a Sri Lankan syndicate engaged in massive gold smuggling. The gang from the island nation, which had successfully smuggled a whopping 267 kg gold worth Rs 167 crore in just two months through a souvenir shop rented by a local YouTuber, was busted recently.
The owner of the ‘Airhub’ shop, Sabir Ali, and eight others including sales executives of the shop and a Sri Lankan transit passenger from the Gulf were arrested and remanded to custody. The shop was a mask and the youtuber was a conduit.
Selling gift articles, toys and souvenirs, the shop was at the departure lounge of the Anna International Airport and the Sri Lankan syndicate had rented it through Sabir Ali. All the seven other employees are nationals of the island nation, trained in smuggling the yellow metal in paste hidden through their rectum.
The Air Customs sleuths stumbled upon the racket when a sales executive of Airhub was apprehended concealing in his rectum 850 gm of gold paste in three bundles, valued at Rs 1.6 crore, and attempting to take it out of the airport. It was found that he had received the gold paste from a Sri Lankan passenger who had arrived from Abu Dhabi. The latter had brought it for the Lankan syndicate.
Sri Lankan passengers on transit normally had 16 to 23 hours at the airport here and those operating for the smuggling gang would leave the contraband either at the toilet or at the Airhub shop of the YouTuber.
From there, the employees of the shop would take it, hiding it in their rectum, outside the airport and hand it over to the receiver. In this manner, the syndicate had smuggled gold paste in bundles worth Rs 167 crore, custom officials maintained.
Initial investigations have revealed that Sabir Ali and his employees of the shop have made a fortune of a few crores of rupees as commission. Further probe is on to ascertain the role of others, locals or Sri Lankan nationals, in this racket.