Airport staff tries to smuggle gold bar worth ₹40 lakh, held

NEW DELHI: The Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) has apprehended a staffer at Delhi airport with gold bar worth ₹40 lakh concealed inside a cigarette packet.

Officials said that the employee was stopped based on profiling and during the search, the 1,370-gramme gold bar was recovered.

“On Friday, around 6pm, CISF surveillance and intelligence staff observed a staff roaming suspiciously in international reclaim area of Terminal-3. Surveillance officers kept a close watch on his movements with the help of CCTVs.

A few minutes later, he was seen receiving something from an arrival passenger near arrival baggage belt No. 08,” said a CISF officer.

CISF surveillance and intelligence staff intercepted the staff when the passenger moved towards immigration area. During physical checking, the gold was recovered from his possession.

The matter was immediately informed to customs officials at the airport. Later, the passenger with whom the staffer met was also intercepted and handed over to customs.

Further investigation revealed that the passenger has arrived from Dubai and was supposed to handover the gold to the airport staffer.

The staffer was supposed to take out the gold to avoid customs check at the green channel.

CISF has recently been focused on profiling and the intelligence staffers are trained to detect unlawful activity through the movement of passengers, officials said.

OFFICIALS SAID THE STAFF WAS TRYING TO HELP A PASSENGER AVOID CUSTOMS CHECK AT THE GREEN CHANNEL