Thiruvananthapuram : Smuggled gold seized from inside of diplomatic baggage on Sunday at Thiruvananthapuram airport is a rare occurrence given that these individuals and their luggage are almost never checked. Incidentally, this is the first time that contraband marked to Consulate General has landed in the customs net in Kerala.
The baggage, addressed to Consulate General residing at Manacaud in Thiruvananthapuram contained illicit gold worth Rs 15 crore, a record cache. The official has denied that the consignment has anything to do with him.
Intelligence was tipped off two days earlier on smuggled gold likely to hit the terminal during the day. However the UAE Consulate General tag on the luggage posed a big problem to the airport authorities. Customs officials do not have the power to go through diplomatic bags and baggage. All the same, the information was solid and officials were not prepared let the contraband sail out right under their nose. The informant’s tip on the weight and description of the carton was an exact match - too tantalizing for the officials to ignore.
The authorities decided to ask the Centre for special permission to confiscate the baggage. When the nod arrived, the officials made one more request, this time seeking presence of the Consulate General at the event. Following this, the Consulate General arrived at the airport’s cargo complex on Sunday. As the box opened up, gold was found packed into air compressors, door locks and steel taps along with packets of noodles and biscuits.
It is unclear how the gold was intended to be coursed out of the airport. Meanwhile, the Secret Services at Customs has begun probe to trace where the gold might have originated from. Authorities at the airport speculate on several such instances that might have gone undetected through diplomatic channels in the past, simply because they are not authorised to look in that direction.
