Gold smuggling on rise along India-Myanmar border: Imphal customs report
High-tariff duties and an increasing gap in gold prices between India and Myanmar have led to an upsurge in smuggling of gold across the international border, revealed a report compiled by the anti-smuggling unit of Imphal customs division. India and Myanmar border have a Free Movement Regime (FMR) which allows people living along the border to travel 16km across the boundary without visa restrictions.
Customs official says 'free movement' of citizens helping gold smuggling
A customs division official feels facilitating "free movement" of citizens for a stipulated period from Manipur's border town of Moreh to adjacent Namphalong market in Myanmar made the state "more prone to illicit trafficking of contraband gold". "This unhindered movement and lure for easy money have made Manipur a soft target for smugglers," he added. Manipur shares a 398km-long porous international border with Myanmar.
Last year, recovery of 137.4kg gold was made in Manipur
Last year, the anti-smuggling unit report stated, a whopping recovery of 137.4 kg gold, worth around Rs. 40 crore, was made in Manipur alone. The recovery from the entire northeast region amounted to 267.2 kg of gold, worth Rs. 84.12 crore, the report said. In 2016, the customs division had seized 16.15 kg gold, valued at Rs. 10 crore.
Manipur accounts for 45% of total gold recovered from northeast
"Manipur accounts for 45% of the total contraband gold recovered from the region last year. The seized gold often finds its way to the state and other parts of India as it has no markings to indicate the place of origin," the customs official said.
42 cases registered in September, Rs. 12cr contraband gold seized
As of September, 42 cases have been registered and contraband gold worth Rs. 12 crore recovered, RK Darendrajit, Assistant Commissioner, Imphal Customs Division, said. In November 2017, an individual was apprehended from Lokchao area in Tengnoupal district with 26.6kg gold. "Unlike other security agencies which make contraband gold recoveries through random frisking, we rely on intelligence inputs to make arrests and recoveries," Darendrajit stated.
Arrestees are mostly carriers; conceal gold bars in body parts
Pointing out that "those arrested in the border area mostly act as carriers for a commission of around Rs. 2,000," Darendrajit said it was hard to trace the kingpins as the highly-organized rackets operate very cautiously. The "carriers," in order to deceive the security agencies, often conceal gold bars in their body parts to avoid detection on the Imphal-Moreh National Highway, another official said.
Two men arrested with 12 gold biscuits inside their rectum
"In August, two men were apprehended with 12 gold biscuits worth Rs. 62 lakh inside their rectum," Darendrajit said. Interestingly, some of them even paint the valuable yellow metal in silver to hoodwink the customs division sleuths, he said. Nonetheless, the consignments bound for mainland India, including metropolitan cities of Delhi and Kolkata, reach destinations as the demand for gold never wanes, he added.
