Two passengers Vijay Kumar Natvarlal Rupapara and Manish Kumar Mansukhlal Khambani holding Indian passports on their departure to Lubumbashi via Addis Ababa by Ethiopian Air flight no. ET 641 were stopped at the airport. The passengers were allegedly attempting to export 5869 pouches and 900 tins of tobacco products, 185.5 kgs of cut betelnuts, 11 pieces of mobile phones and 2 pieces of tablets totally valued at Rs 5,12,812 out of India by concealing the same in their 17 checked-in-baggage and 4 hand baggage (weighing 597 kgs).
The passengers in their statements recorded under Sec 108 of the Customs Act, 1962 has admitted knowledge, possession, carriage, concealment and recovery of said goods which were being attempted to smuggle out of India.
A case has been booked and further investigation is underway.
On a different occasion at the same Mumbai airport, a passenger named Faisal Veerumbin Chalil holding Indian passport on his arrival from Abu Dhabi by flight no. EY 204. The passenger was attempting surreptitious removal of 2 pieces of gold collectively weighing 1379 gms valued at Rs 37,35,325 by concealing the same in housing of copper winding of Mixer/ Grinder which was recovered and seized under the provisions of the Customs Act, 1962.
The passenger in his statement recorded under Sec 108 of the Customs Act,1962 has admitted knowledge, possession, carriage, concealment and recovery of the said two pieces of gold which were being smuggled into India without payment of proper Customs duty and in contravention of provisions of the Customs Act, 1962.
He admitted that the same belongs to one Muthu who stays at Deira, Dubai. The passenger was arrested and a case was booked.
Both the cases were based on profiling and intelligence, of the Air Intelligence Unit (AIU) officers. They intercepted the two cases of illegal smuggling which valued at around Rs 42.5 lakh at Mumbai Airport.
