Overview
- DRI officers seized 1.2 kg of 24K gold dust worth about ₹1.6 crore after a cleaner allegedly hid a packet on an aerobridge staircase during a post-flight check.
- The arrested men were identified as cleaning team leader Sunil Verma and supervisor Shankar Patil, contractual staff with Air India Airport Services Limited.
- Officials describe a syndicate method in which international passengers leave foreign-origin gold on the aircraft for insider staff to retrieve and move through restricted zones.
- A DRI official said the incident followed the arrival of a flight from Dammam, with both suspects booked under the Customs Act, 1962 as inquiries continue.
- The arrests form part of Operation Golden Sweep, which also saw earlier October hauls of 10.5 kg and 4 kg of gold, while separate customs actions on Oct 20 netted 10.5 kg of hydroponic weed and 200 g of passenger-concealed gold at CSMIA.