Mumbai: The Air Intelligence Unit (AIU) of Mumbai Customs seized cut and polished natural and lab-grown diamonds worth Rs 5.55 crore from a Mumbai man travelling to Bangkok.
According to AIU, the passenger, Imran Ibrahim Shaikh (49), a resident of Mominwada in South Mumbai, was intercepted by customs officers at the departure hall of Terminal 2 of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport at around 12.45 pm. He was scheduled to travel to Bangkok. During an examination of his baggage, customs officers allegedly found diamonds concealed in confectionery packets inside his checked-in trolley bag. No incriminating material was found during the examination of his cabin baggage or personal search.
A govt-approved valuer examined the recovered goods and assessed them as 2,033.70 carats of cut and polished natural and lab-grown diamonds, provisionally valued at Rs 5.55 crore. Shaikh was arrested under Section 104 of the Customs Act, and the diamonds were seized under a panchnama.
Customs officials suspect the diamonds were smuggled out of India. Public prosecutor Nazia Shaikh, while seeking the accused’s custody, told the court that the investigation is at a preliminary stage and that officials are attempting to establish the wider network involved in the alleged smuggling operation. The court remanded the accused to magistrate’s custody.
