Smugglers are using the duty-free shop at the Indira Gandhi International Airport (IGIA) to sneak gold into the country, forcing Customs authorities to step up vigil. In its effort to check gold smuggling mainly by airline crew and ground staff, the Customs department is also considering regulating the use of mobile phones inside the airport premises.
Many related issues were discussed during a recent meeting by officials of Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) with representatives of airlines, immigration, Central Industrial Security Force, Customs and Delhi International Airport Limited (DIAL), official sources said.
Officials pointed out instances where passengers would hide gold in duty-free shop allegedly with the connivance of ground staff manning it. "Later, the gold would be ferried out of the airport by one of the personnel working there," one of the officials said.
"There has also been a demand to regulate the use of mobile phones by ground staff and restrict their access within the airport to check gold smuggling," the official added. Customs authorities have also expressed concern over the non-availability of an X-ray machine at the arrival area to exclusively scan hand baggage of passengers, they said.
"There have been some cases where people were hiding gold in hand baggage. In most cases they are caught, but the possibility of gold coming into the country without the payment of duty cannot be ruled out," a source said. The meeting of officials of various departments was called after authorities found either airline crew or workers of ground handling companies allegedly involved in 80 cases of the total gold smuggling reported in past three years, they said.
