CBI books customs officials for ₹6.99 crore bribe to clear ₹487 crore fake gold exports
CBI books four Chennai customs officials for taking Rs. 6.99 crore bribe to clear Rs. 487 crore fake gold jewellery exports
The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has registered a case against four customs officials and several exporters for their alleged role in a massive fake gold export scam at Chennai airport. The agency has alleged that the officials accepted bribes worth Rs. 6.99 crore to facilitate the export of fake jewellery valued at around Rs. 487 crore.
According to the First Information Report (FIR), the case began when the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) detected irregularities in 2022. Investigations showed that suspected exporters, in connivance with customs officials posted at the Air Cargo Complex in Chennai, fraudulently exported copper ornaments plated with gold. These consignments were falsely declared as genuine gold jewellery.
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The scam involved a misuse of import and export rules. Gold bullion imported from Gulf countries was sold in the domestic market. To claim customs duty refunds that are normally given when gold is re-exported, the accused exporters shipped out fake jewellery instead of real gold. Customs officials allegedly cleared these consignments as genuine after receiving bribes.
The CBI FIR states that Superintendent J Suresh Kumar facilitated the clearance of 7,38,981 grams of fake jewellery valued at Rs. 299.52 crore. Superintendent Alok Shukla allegedly cleared jewellery worth Rs. 38.87 crore while Appraiser N Samuel Deepak Avinash permitted exports worth more than Rs. 149 crore. Another official, Superintendent P Thulasi Ram, has also been named in the case.
The investigation further revealed that exporters paid bribes at a rate of Rs. 50 per gram of fake jewellery cleared. This amounted to nearly Rs. 5.99 crore. The CBI has alleged that the total bribe taken by the officials was around Rs. 6.99 crore.
Along with the customs officials, four exporters and jewellers have also been named as accused. They are identified as Deepak Siroya, Santosh Kothari, Sunil Parmar and Sunil Sharma. In addition, Customs House Agent A Mariappan has also been booked.
The scam, which first came to light after the DRI intercepted one such consignment, has raised serious concerns about corruption and collusion in customs operations. The CBI is continuing its investigation into the network of exporters and officials involved in the racket.
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