Rohit Kumar
Sri Vijaya Puram, 31 December 2024
In the first reported case of gold smuggling at Veer Savarkar International Airport since the initiation of international flight operations, a resident of Tamil Nadu was apprehended by Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) officers during a random baggage check.
The suspect, Mohd Zunaith Rasool, a resident of Madurai, travelled from Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, to Sri Vijaya Puram aboard the Air Asia flight on Saturday (28 December 2024). His final destination was Chennai, he had a booking on SpiceJet flight scheduled for the same evening from Sri Vijaya Puram to Chennai.
CISF selected Rasool for a random baggage scan upon his entry into the airport for his onward flight to Chennai. During the inspection, officers discovered a suspicious item concealed in his bag. Upon further examination, they found 203 grams of gold that Rasool had allegedly smuggled into Sri Vijaya Puram from Kuala Lumpur, intending to carry it to Chennai.
Rasool was immediately handed over to customs officials for further investigation. Air Asia had launched its international service between Kuala Lumpur and Sri Vijaya Puram on 16 November 2024, and this incident marks the first instance of gold smuggling detected at the airport since the commencement of these international flight operation.
Sources revealed that customs officials have registered a case against Rasool, and a sample of the seized material has been sent to a Kolkata laboratory for confirmation. Rasool was later released on bail the same day.
With the commencement of international flight connections to Sri Vijaya Puram, authorities are now bracing for a potential rise in the smuggling of valuable goods into Sri Vijaya Puram and onward smuggling from Sri Vijaya Puram to mainland cities.