Kenyan arrested with ₹2.25-crore smuggled gold

MUMBAI: Officials of the Antinarcotics Cell (ANC) of the Mumbai Crime Branch arrested a Kenyan national for allegedly smuggling gold worth Rs 2.25 crore on Saturday. He has been handed over to the customs department.

ANC sleuths received a tipoff that a man had smuggled drugs into the country. A team was formed by DCP ANC Jayant Naiknavare to nab the accused.

The accused — Teddy Mulimamuthi, 25 — had arrived from Nairobi and was staying in Grand Hyatt hotel in Sahar area of Andheri (East). He is employed with the Kenyan Airlines as a member of the cabin crew and has been working with them for the last four or five years, an officer said.

“He comes to India after every two months. This was his fifth or sixth visit to the country,” the officer said.

He was carrying about 7.5kg gold in a sack, took a taxi from the hotel to meet a person to whom the gold was to be delivered in Colaba.

A team led by inspector Santosh Bhalekar apprehended him around 7.30 pm. Prima facie, it appears that the gold was smuggled from Kenya.

Upon questioning, the accused gave out evasive answers.

“After conducting a probe, we handed him over to the customs that will interrogate him further,” Naiknavare said.

The police did not find any