Gold smuggling: Involvement of Customs staffers at Mangaluru Airport raises eyebrows

coastaldigest.com web desk
November 1, 2018

Mangaluru, Nov 1: Customs employees at the Manglauru International Airport have once again come under the scanner after the involvement of two staffers in gold smuggling racket came to light recently.

Ashwin N V and Srikanth, both Customs hawaldars were recently arrested by the sleuths of the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) on charges of helping the gold smugglers at the airport. It is learnt that both of these officers had gained employment in the department on compassionate grounds.

Both the arrests come after the seizure of gold worth Rs 47 lakh from one Niyaz Khadar at the Airport on September 20. A resident of Mulleriya in Kasaragod, Khader was caught on his arrival here from Dubai.

After subjecting Khader to interrogation, the officials arrested Srikanth for helping the former and seized gold worth Rs 25 lakh from the latter’s residence.

The DRI officials, who continued the investigation, then arrested one Akbar Siddiq who was purchased the smuggled gold. During the interrogation, Siddiq spilled the beans on the involvement of hawaldar Ashwin, sources in the customs department said.

The involvement of insiders in gold smuggling had come to light at Mangaluru Airport in the past too. Department sources said that it would take strict action against the culprits after detailed investigation.

Comments

Well Wisher
 - 
Thursday, 1 Nov 2018

I had this doubt long back. How come people smuggle this much of gold with daring. If a normal passenger takes an 8 gms of gold, they try to harass him. What to do! Kachche din for India and Achche din for looters. Waw. what a cooperation between so-called Hindu namesakes and Muslim namesakes. Please hang them in public.

Respected CM Sir, please appoint some honest officers instead of such bullshit Veerappans. Honest like Singam Annamalai Sir. 

Jai Karnataka Jai Hind

Add new comment

  • Coastaldigest.com reserves the right to delete or block any comments.
  • Coastaldigset.com is not responsible for its readers’ comments.
  • Comments that are abusive, incendiary or irrelevant are strictly prohibited.
  • Please use a genuine email ID and provide your name to avoid reject.
News Network
June 3,2020

Bengaluru, Jun 3: Former Union minister and senior Congress leader K H Muniyappa on Wednesday extended his support to former Prime minister and JD(S) National president H D Deve Gowda in the Rajya Sabha polls.

In a statement issued here here, Mr Muniyappa said that party which had an electoral understanding in the Lok Sabha elections, may extend support to Gowda in the June-19 Rajya Sabha elections from Karnataka.

It may be recalled that the Election Commission of India, is conducting elections to Rajya Sabya to fill four vacancies from the Karnataka Assembly, in which the ruling BJP may bag two seats, while the remaining may be won by the Congress and the JD(S).

Comments

Add new comment

  • Coastaldigest.com reserves the right to delete or block any comments.
  • Coastaldigset.com is not responsible for its readers’ comments.
  • Comments that are abusive, incendiary or irrelevant are strictly prohibited.
  • Please use a genuine email ID and provide your name to avoid reject.
News Network
February 21,2020

Bengaluru, Feb 21: Historian Ramachandra Guha on Thursday refuted Karnataka home minister Basavaraj Bommai's claim that the latter had apologised for police allegedly manhandling him during an anti-CAA protest in the city, saying he received no such call or apology.

The writer further said even if such an apology had been offered, he would have rejected it.

"The Home Minister of Karnataka has claimed on the floor of the State Assembly that he apologised to me by phone for the manhandling by the Bengaluru police on 19th December 2019. This is false.

I received no such call or apology," Guha tweeted.

"Even if such an apology had been offered, I would have rejected it.

The imposition of Section 144 was illegal (as the Karnataka High Court has since held) and I was proud to be one of thousands of peaceful protesters who defied the States arbitrary action on that day," he said in another tweet.

During his reply to the debate on law and order situation in the state, Bommai on Wednesday claimed that he had apologised to Guha.

The minister was apologising to senior Congress MLA and former Speaker K R Ramesh Kumar for police serving him notice and detaining him along with others at Mangaluru airport in December for trying to enter the city despite restrictions following violence there.

Stating that anti-CAA protests have taken place peacefully across the state, he had said, there might have been minor discrepancies, like that with historian Ramachandra Guha, being manhandled during a protest.

"I have called and apologised to him," he had said.

Guha was detained on December 19 for staging a demonstration against the Citizenship Amendment Act and National Register of Citizens at the Town Hall here, in defiance of the prohibitory orders imposed in the city.

He was taken away by police personnel and led to a police vehicle parked nearby.

Leader of Opposition in the assembly and former chief minister Siddaramaiah said Bommai has committed a "perjury" in the House, and asked him to apologise to people and Guha in front of media.

"Bommai has committed a perjury on the floor of the House. It answers the question of where @BJP4India workers derive their motivation to spread fake news.

Bommai has insulted the people whom he represents," he tweeted and demanded that he apologize to people and Guha.

Comments

Add new comment

  • Coastaldigest.com reserves the right to delete or block any comments.
  • Coastaldigset.com is not responsible for its readers’ comments.
  • Comments that are abusive, incendiary or irrelevant are strictly prohibited.
  • Please use a genuine email ID and provide your name to avoid reject.
News Network
May 9,2020

Bengaluru, May 9: Dubai NRI Kannadigaru president and entrepreneur Naveed Magundi in a video message thanked government of India for helping stranded Indians in Arab countries to return home. 

The video was shared by Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister C N Ashwath Narayan on Friday on Twitter. 

"Kannadigas, who are in trouble in the Arab countries and wanting to return home, have got the central government's rapid response. Prime Minister Narendra Modi gratitude video on behalf of Dubai President Kannadigas," Narayan said in the tweet.

The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) has prepared a chart for the first phase evacuation of over 14,000 Indian nationals stranded in 13 foreign countries by 64 flights in week one of the operation.

Comments

Add new comment

  • Coastaldigest.com reserves the right to delete or block any comments.
  • Coastaldigset.com is not responsible for its readers’ comments.
  • Comments that are abusive, incendiary or irrelevant are strictly prohibited.
  • Please use a genuine email ID and provide your name to avoid reject.