Bengaluru Airport missing gold case: CBI files FIR against customs officials

www.mangaloretoday.com

Bengaluru, Oct 18, 2020: Six customs officials and others have been booked by the CBI in a case where 2.5 kg gold seized from passengers went missing from the godown at the Kempegowda International Airport.

The accused were in charge of 2,594 gram of gold jewellery seized from various people between 2012 and 2014, and stored in the godown.

The FIR has been filed based on a complaint by joint commissioner of customs M J Chetan after an internal investigation revealed the involvement of these officials in the seizure and deposit of gold jewellery in 13 cases.

The accused are: Vinod Chinnappa and K Keshav, assistant commissioners, Ministry of Finance (Custom and Central Excise), K B Lingaraju, Dean Rex, N J Ravishekar, Superintendents of Central Tax, Ministry of Finance (Custom and Central Excise), S D Hiremath and others.

The complaint was filed on September 23 and the FIR registered on October 12. In the complaint, Chetan said an internal investigation was conducted by the director general of vigilance of Hyderabad unit into the alleged involvement of customs officials in the seizure of gold and its deposit in godown, on specific acts of omission and commission.