 "Sitharaman, Nirmala Sitharaman")
Customs and DRI officers have seized 847 kg of gold worth Rs 544 crore at various airports in the three months of the current fiscal till June, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said on Tuesday.
In a written reply to a question in the Rajya Sabha, Sitharaman gave details of gold seizure cases at airports and seaports by Customs field formations and Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) from FY 2021-22 to FY 2024-25.
In FY25, up to June 2024, 847.43 kg of gold was seized in 1,282 cases. The value of seized gold is Rs 543.61 crore.
In the 2023-24 fiscal, there were 5,962 cases of seizure at airports with 3,714 kg of gold worth Rs 2,081 crore getting seized.
In 2022-23, seizure of 2,776 kg of gold worth Rs 1,382 crore was made.
In 2021-22, about 1,240 kg of gold worth Rs 572 crore was seized at the airports.
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The minister said Customs field formations are regularly sensitised to newer methods of smuggling.
"On detection of gold smuggling cases, action is taken in accordance with law, including seizure and confiscation of smuggled gold and arrest and prosecution of the persons accused of smuggling," she said.
With regard to seizures at seaports, Sitharaman said there were 2 cases in 2023-24 with 1.28 kg gold worth Rs 0.66 crore getting seized.
Between April and June of this fiscal, there were no cases of gold seizures at seaports.
Sitharaman said the Customs field formations and DRI keep a constant vigil and take operational measures, inter alia, based on intelligence, passenger profiling with the aid of Advance Passenger Information System (APIS), risk-based interdiction and targeting, non-intrusive inspection like baggage and container scanning; rummaging of carriers, including aircraft, and coordination with other agencies for purposes of thwarting gold smuggling.
During April-June of the current fiscal, 132 prosecution cases were launched and 152 persons were prosecuted with respect to gold seizures at airports.
In the 2023-24 fiscal, prosecution was launched in 174 cases, with 280 people prosecuted.
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