Mumbai: Customs officials are probing a possible link between the sudden spurt in the smuggling of gold into the country, and the illegal export of date rape drugs. The investigation was triggered by a more than three-fold increase in seizures of smuggled gold, with this month's being the largest in the past decade.
In the last financial year (up to January '13), the total seizure of gold amounted to 54 kg. The total seizure during the same period this year is 182 kg. This month alone, customs seized 57 kg, which has surpassed the cumulative figure of the last financial year. "Gold smuggling is on a rise compared to the figures in last many years. The current month's seizure is the highest in the past 10 years," said Milind Lanjewar, additional commissioner of customs at Mumbai airport.
Customs sources accepted that a huge quantity of date rape drugs, which include Ketamine and Amphetamine, are being sent out of the country in large numbers, and pointed to speculation that the gold being smuggled in is a form of payment. "Several agencies are aware of the matter and are tracking whether the incoming gold has any connection with outgoing drugs," said a source.
Read News In full 01/02/14 Bipin Kumar Singh/Mumbai Mirror
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