Investigations reveal that Pakistani terror outfits based in the Middle East are involved in smuggling gold into the country via the Mopa and Dabolim airports. The modus operandi for smugglers is to target middle/lower middle class people who are keen on vacations in Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Kuwait and other neighbouring countries but who do not have the wherewithal to finance their sojourns.
The smugglers arrange for air tickets and sundry expenses for such gullible people in exchange for bringing back a package containing gold for their supposed ‘relatives’. The ‘mules’ carrying the contraband are instructed to hand over the package to a designated person who then ships it out of Goa to his associates who further sell it for a handsome profit; the money thus accrued is used to fund terror activities within India.
Over the past three months Rs 10 crore worth of the yellow metal had been seized by the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence, this does not bode well for India. Goa being a coastal state, smuggling gold via the sea route is also possible for terrorists. The government of India needs to tighten security controls across all vulnerable states to choke terror funding.
