Mumbai: A whistleblower has punched holes in the tall claims of the Mumbai Airport Customs Air Intelligence Unit (AIU) of foreign currency seizure equivalent to ₹8.36 crore from an Indian origin US citizen on Feb 20 at the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport.
The foreign currency was detected and intercepted by alert Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) personnel during screening in the security hold after the international flyer had cleared customs and immigration. CCTV footage suggests that the suspect passenger was in fact provided Customs protocol and escorted at the airport for departure before being intercepted by the CISF for screening.
Suspect intercepted by CISF after noticing unusual thickness and linings of the handbag
While CISF seized ₹3 crore in US dollars (USD) in cash from the handbag and another ₹5.3 crore in USD in cash was seized by Customs from the checked-in baggage after an alert from the CISF. A senior CISF official said, “The suspect had cleared immigration and was intercepted by alert CISF personnel noticing the unusual thickness and linings of the handbag.”
Sources alleged that the suspect was provided escort to clear immigration and security at the behest of a senior official, who has been in the eye of a storm for several misdemeanours in the past, including pilferage of gold bracelet seized from a passenger and racial casteist remark against a Sindhi passenger from Ulhasnagar (all reported by the FPJ in the past few days).
CISF personnel were surprised at the presence of two Customs AIU officials during interception. Senior Customs officials have raised eyebrows at the behaviour of AIU officers who did not intercept the suspect.
Question over the failure of Customs AIU’s profiling of passengers
The whistle blower has also questioned the failure of Customs AIU’s profiling of passengers. The question being asked in airport circles is how the passenger was allowed to walk through immigration and head towards the boarding gates to international flights.
“Customs officers in departure just after immigration and before Security of CISF failed to intercept the suspect. Screening of checked-in baggage is done by Customs, which failed to detect the foreign currency. Only after CISF’s interception, the check-in baggage was offloaded for inspection,” lamented the Customs official about the working of AIU.
“It cannot be called a joint operation as it was a case detected by CISF and handed over to AIU for seizure and further investigation. Some officers take undue credit for every seizure to be in the limelight and misappropriate secret service funds meant for informers to gather intelligence,” rued another senior Customs officer.
Mumbai Airport Customs has been plagued with several cases of corruption and extortion of international passengers on threats of implicating in false cases of smuggling contraband gold and foreign currencies. The rise in CBI cases against Customs officials had prompted the Airport Customs Commissioner office to en masse transfer 38 customs superintendents and inspectors last week.
