Customs officers at the Mumbai international airport last week nabbed three men who were allegedly trying to sneak in with electronic goods worth over Rs80 lakh in the Indian market.
With the heat on Chennai, smugglers try Mumbai route
Customs officers at the Mumbai international airport last week nabbed three men who were allegedly trying to sneak in with electronic goods worth over Rs80 lakh in the Indian market.
This was in addition to the imposition of customs duty of Rs8 lakh on 18 passengers, who arrived in the city on two successive flights and were found to be collectively carrying 2,500 cartons of foreign-made cigarettes.
Hemant Mahadeo Godia, 48, Dawood Sheikh Fareth, 35, and Murli Nagdeo Banumal, 53, were intercepted upon arrival by a Singapore Airlines flight (SQ 422) on Friday.
A senior customs officer said the baggage contained 96 digital cameras, accessories, and memory cards collectively worth Rs31 lakh in the Indian market.
A Thai Airlines flight (TG 317), which arrived in Mumbai on Tuesday night, was also being monitored for smuggling. Customs officers found two unclaimed bags, with the tags removed, on the conveyor belt. The bags belonged to two passengers who apparently panicked and hid in the restroom.
The officer said the two bags contained Chinese mobile phones worth Rs39 lakh. Another bag, containing imported digital cameras worth Rs19 lakh, was recovered from the airport hallway that leads out of the facility.
Moiuddin Abdul Kader, 32, and Mohammad Firtoft Shahid, both from Chennai, were arrested. Customs officers suspect that the two had chosen Mumbai to enter into India in the wake of intensive anti-smuggling operations at Chennai and Thiruvanathapuram airports.
a_renni@dnaindia.net 
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