Women agents may be involved in gold smuggling racket in Kerala, say investigators

Kochi, November 11, 2013: Gone are the days when the kingpins of gold smuggling rackets used to employ less educated people as carriers for smuggling gold into Kerala. The arrest of 22-year-old Hiromasa V Sebastin of Wayanad and 32-year-old Raahila Cheerayi of Kannur is a clear sign that highly educated and high profile people who knew very well about the consequences of their actions are working as carriers for smugglers to make easy money. Raahila is an MBA graduate having a certification from SAP software firm and works in a private firm in Dubai where as Hiromasa is trained in diploma drom a reputed air hostess training academy in Kerala and is employed by Air India Express. 

Investigations by DRI officials revealed that Hiromasa was on leave from the airlines services from the last six months and was working with a smuggling racket based in Malappuram. She was suspended from the job by Air India Express after she was arrested last Friday.

The duo arrested at Karipur international airport by Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) officials on last Friday were hiding the gold bars beneath their jeans wrapped up in a towel. They arrived in Air India Express flight IX 344 from Dubai concealed six kilogram of gold bars (each gold bar weighing one kilogram) worth Rs.1.84 crores. DRI investigation had revealed that the duo had smuggled nearly 39 kg of gold worth Rs. 12 crores in last three months. The DRI officials were vigilant following a tip off from an unknown source that two ladies are arriving with concealed gold bars on their body. DRI officials intercepted the ladies and they were inspected by women officers who found that each of them were carrying 3 kg bars of gold in cloth around their waist and wore jeans over it.

The DRI officials says that the gold smuggling racket is employing educated women as carriers as they won't be suspected by the officials. "There seems to be an elaborate network of female carriers in Malabar. The carriers had revealed the names of the kingpins based in Dubai. We need to investigate the further to arrest the other women carriers involved in smuggling," says an official to India Today. The incident has opened the eyes of the officials as this is first time that an air hostess is arrested in Kerala for acting as a carrier. "Normally pilots and air hostess were not examined by customs in airports. We need to have a rethink about it now," says a top customs official.

It is also learnt that Raahila had travelled to Dubai to Kerala through various international airports twenty five times since July 2013. DRI officials are now investigating to know whether she was acting as a carrier during all these trips. Though the arrested air hostess claims that she was doing smuggling only for the third time, DRI officials are now verifying claims by examining the travel details of the air hostess  Officials say that the carriers were given Rs. 1 lac for carrying one kg gold from Dubai to Kerala. Raahila is learnt have been involved in smuggling for the last three years. Investigators says that it was Raahila who introduced Hiromosa to smuggling exploiting her financial crisis situation. Hiromosa is the sole breadwinner of the family comprising of two younger sisters and mother as her father had died some years ago.

After the arrest of lady carriers on Friday, the customs wing in Karipur seized two kg of gold worth Rs. 60 lakh on Saturday from a passenger from Jiddah, Mohammed Nawas of Puthukkod in Malappuram. Navas turned the gold in the form of three glasses and spoons and gave steel coating to hide the yellow metal.

Meanwhile two women carriers -Arifa and Asifa-accused of gold smuggling in Nedumbassery gold smuggling case  have been charged under the Conservation of Foreign Exchange and Prevention of Smuggling Activities (COFEPOSA) Act on last Saturday alone with key accused T.K. Faiz and  Haris. The Act would lead to the detention of the four accused without bail for one year.

CBI is also investigating the case along with DRI as they suspect the involvement of customs officials too in smuggling. The investigation agency is planing to examine some customs officials in Karipur international airport.

Courtesy: India Today