Chennai YouTuber Arrested for Rs 167 Crore Gold Haul
The modus operandi involved the employees concealing the gold, often in powder form, in their rectums to bypass security checks
In a major crackdown on gold smuggling, the customs department at Chennai airport has busted a well-organized racket involving a local YouTuber. The authorities have arrested nine individuals, including the YouTuber Sabir Ali, who allegedly used his souvenir shop inside the airport as a front to facilitate the smuggling of a staggering 267 kilograms of gold worth ₹167 crore.
According to the investigation, Sabir Ali had rented the souvenir shop at the Chennai airport's departure terminal just two months ago, paying a substantial sum to the third-party agency engaged by the Airports Authority of India (AAI). The YouTuber then employed seven young individuals to manage the shop, using them as mules to receive the smuggled gold from Sri Lanka-bound transit passengers.
The modus operandi involved the employees concealing the gold, often in powder form, in their rectums to bypass security checks. The gold would then be handed over to receivers waiting outside the airport. Customs officials suspect that the gold smuggling syndicate, with operations in Chennai, Sri Lanka, and abroad, had funded Sabir Ali to set up the shop as a front for their illicit activities.
The arrest of the nine suspects, including Sabir Ali and the transit passengers, has sent shockwaves through the local community. Customs officials have confirmed that the gang had successfully smuggled 267 kilograms of gold worth Rs 167 crore in just two months, highlighting the scale and sophistication of the operation. The investigation is ongoing to uncover the identities of the masterminds behind this well-executed gold smuggling scheme.