Mumbai: The Mumbai Airport Customs officials on Wednesday arrested three persons, including a manager of a restaurant inside the airport, for being a part of a syndicate instrumental in smuggling gold. The agency officials have also seized gold valued at Rs 1.5 crore from one of the arrested persons. Those arrested have been identified as S Sendole, MH Ansari and MT Shaikh.
According to the Customs sources, in the intervening night of December 3 and 4, officials found movement of a transit passenger Ansari suspicious at the airport. Ansari was seen going to the departure area and Sendole too arrived there.
The officials then got hold of Sendole and recovered three oval shaped capsules containing total 1460 grams of gold dust in wax form from him. Sendole told officials that Ansari gave him this near departure area and that he was supposed to hand it over to someone outside the airport. However, Ansari denied having any knowledge about it.
“Sendole admitted that he carried out smuggled gold nine times in last three months and received Rs 20,000 each time after delivery of smuggled gold to the person who used to meet him outside the airport. Sendole said Shaikh, manager of a restaurant situated near departure hall area, too was associated with the smuggling syndicate. Sendole also claimed that he got involved in the syndicate with the help of Shaikh,” said a Customs source.
