The Mumbai airport has been identified as the largest hub of gold smuggling in India by the customs department. This revelation was made after the seizure of 604kg of smuggled gold worth Rs 360 crore at the Mumbai international airport within a period of 11 months.
Seizure of 604kg of smuggled gold worth Rs 360 crore at the Mumbaiinternational airport in just 11 months has earned it the dubious distinction ofbeing the countrys number one airport in such hauls, overtaking Delhi at 374kgand Chennai's 306kg, the customs department has revealed. The seizure atMumbai airport between April 2022 and February 2023 is also a sharp increasefrom 91kg in 2022-23.
Mumbai is a transit hub for gold smugglers as there is a big market for theprecious metal; several syndicates, including jewellers, finance the racketeers, saycustoms officials. The other three metro cities of Delhi, Kolkata and Chennai tooare preferred for the international routes. Hyderabad has also seen a slow rise ingold smuggl...