Customs officer detained in Kozhikode for aiding smugglers

Kozhikode: A Customs officer was detained by the Kerala police after their investigation into a gold smuggling through the Karipur International Airport here reached him, police said.

The Superintendent ranking officer was taken into custody from outside the Airport on Thursday while he was allegedly waiting for two carriers without knowing the fact that they were already apprehended by the police.

As much as 320 grams of gold was recovered from him on the spot and later seized an amount of Rs 4,42,000 from a room where he was staying.

While being taken into custody, he had not disclosed his official identity, they said.

Police came to know about his identity during the search of his room.

According to police, the customs officer allegedly helped the carriers, who landed at the airport from Dubai in an early morning flight, to smuggle 320 grams of gold they had brought, out of the airport.

When the duo was apprehended with a certain amount of gold, they were getting repeated calls from a number to which police set a trap and asked the caller to come to a specific spot.

When the man reached the spot to meet the carriers, the police detained the Customs officer, who was not in his official uniform, and recovered gold from him.

The officer was not arrested as the police do not have the mandate to do so but the procedures have been initiated under CrPC Section 102 (Power of police officer to seize certain property) against him and the matter will be reported to the Customs authorities.

The customs department has not reacted to the developments.

(With inputs from PTI)