CISF on Wednesday arrested two people at the Indira Gandhi International (IGI) Airport for smuggling 55 kg Agarwood valued at Rs one crore and ten lakh.
A senior CISF official identified the accused as Shelim Ahmed Talukder who was caught at around 5 p.m on Wednesday. He was about to take a Bangkok flight when he was placed under arrest.
“Based on profiling CISF surveillance and intelligence staff selected a passenger for random checking in the departure area of Terminal-3, IGI Airport. Passenger alongwith his baggage was taken to the random checking point for thorough checking. During x-ray screening of his trolley bag, some suspicious images of Agarwood were noticed. The matter was informed to the Custom officials,” said the official.
The official said that thereafter, the passenger was allowed to complete check-in and Immigration formalities under close physical and electronic surveillance.
As the passenger cleared the check-in and immigration formalities, he was intercepted by CISF surveillance and intelligence staff.
The passenger alongwith his baggage was brought to the Departure Customs office.
“On physical checking 28 kgs of Agarwood chips were detected from the trolley bag. He could not produce any valid document to carry the Agarwood. On tactful questioning the passenger revealed that another passenger Uddin Mohammed Sahab scheduled to travel by the same flight was also carrying Agarwood in his registered baggage,” the official said.
Uddin Mohammed was also intercepted by the CISF and brought to the Customs office.
After offloading the registered baggage of the passenger by the Custom officials 27 kgs of Agarwood was detected inside the bag.
“Agarwood is used in making perfume and it can fetch around 2.75 crore Thai Baht in Thailand which is equivalent to 6.5 crores. Later, both the passengers along with recovered 55 kgs of Agarwood worth Rs one crore ten lakh were handed over to Customs Officials for further legal action in the matter,” the official said.
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