What is Kerala’s gold smuggling scam?
In a major haul of gold smuggled into Kerala customs officers at Trivandrum International Airport on July 4 seized gold worth more than Rs 13 crore. The gold brought in the cargo was addressed to a consulate office in Manacaud, Thiruvananthapuram. Around 30 kilograms of gold was seized from the cargo. According to the commissioner of customs Sumit Kumar, the parcel for the consulate office reached the airport in cargo flight a few days ago and the seizure was made based on intelligence information.
As per Customs Act and Diplomatic Relations (Vienna Convention) Act, two kinds of objects of the diplomats are exempted from inspection: articles for official use and the personal baggage of a diplomatic agent. In this case, the consignment was brought as personal baggage and customs officers had to seek permission from higher authorities for an examination of the
consignment.