Two SpiceJet staff hand in glove with smugglers trapped at Mangaluru

Mangalore Today News Network

Mangaluru, July 17, 2016: Reports state, acting on a tip-off that gold bars were being smuggled by concealing them under the seat of a SpiceJet aircraft, the officers of Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) Mangalore, had intercepted an aircraft on its arrival at Mangalore International Airport and seized 22 pieces of gold biscuits, weighing 2566.050 grams. The total value of the gold seized is put at Rs 75,26,225.

Two SpiceJet employees, who were arrested on the charge of facilitating gold smuggling at the Mangalore International Airport, have confessed to have helped smugglers on six occasions earlier.  Two employees of SpiceJet, working at Mangalore International Airport - who were a part of the conspiracy and who were helping the smugglers in retrieving the gold biscuits from the aircraft upon its landing in the city - were arrested.

As the conspiracy was unravelled by the officers of the DRI, it was found that the gold biscuits sourced from Dubai were concealed in the aircraft during its international run from Dubai to Mumbai by a carrier hired for the job. Thereafter, once the aircraft was deployed on its assignment in domestic sector, it operated between Mumbai and Mangaluru.

It was here that the arrested SpiceJet employees, who were passing on advance information to the smugglers regarding the movement of the aircraft, were found retrieving the concealed gold biscuits from the aircraft and delivering them outside later on. During interrogation, they admitted that they were doing it for the lure of  money offered by the smugglers.  Further investigation is under progress.