Customs dept tightens surveillance at airport

T'puram: The customs authorities have intensified surveillance at the Thiruvananthapuram International Airport in view of the increase in incidents of gold smuggling through the airport and the recent arrest of a ‘pottickal' gang (those who snatch gold from the smuggling racket).
The customs have put in place a tight-capped mechanism to catch the smugglers by deploying more staff on duty and monitoring passengers strictly.
"Frequent flyers and short-term visitors will be monitored strictly, and through other mechanisms, other flyers will also be put under the radar," official sources said.
The number of gold smuggling incidents has seen a significant rise in recent years. In 2021, there were only two cases reported, with a total seizure of 250 grams of gold. However, in 2022, as many as 56 cases were reported and 21 kg of gold was seized. The upward trend continued in 2023, as the number of cases escalated to 95, resulting in the confiscation of 60.217 kg of gold. This year, up until July 31, the authorities have already registered 61 cases of gold smuggling, seizing 30.417 kg of gold.
Official sources told TOI that most of the carriers who were arrested so far were natives of Thiruvananthapuram, Kollam, and Tamil Nadu.
Notably, a few people from Poonthura and Valiyathura areas were held for smuggling gold.
City police, during the investigation into the case registered over the abduction of a Tamil Nadu native, Muhammed Umar, 23, on Aug 14, found that ‘pottickal' gangs are still active in the Poonthura and Valiyathura areas.
Umar was abducted by a five-member gang for snatching the smuggled gold he was supposedly carrying.
One of the five arrested in the abduction case had admitted to the police that he had worked as a carrier seven times before. According to customs officials, the smugglers choose people from all walks of life, such as educated people, labourers, tourists, professionals, frequent flyers, elderly people, youngsters, etc., to work as carriers to evade tight security checks.
"Earlier, people on short visits to the Gulf region, either for jobs or visiting, were chosen as carriers, but recently some people who were abroad for years were also arrested for smuggling. Even educated people worked as carriers for the smugglers, and they did not contact them directly. Even if the carriers are arrested, the probe team cannot identify the sender and receiver of the gold," said an officer.