2022 gold export scam: Customs staff got Rs 6.99 crore as bribe at Rs 50/gram

CHENNAI: The customs officers booked by the CBI for allegedly facilitating exports of fake gold jewellery worth hundreds of crores of rupees via Chennai airport to claim customs duty refund had received Rs 6.99 crore as a bribe, a CBI official claimed.

Officials were allegedly paid Rs 50 per gram of fake jewellery cleared by them for exports, which comes to about Rs 6.99 crore. “Inquiry revealed that suspected exporters in connivance with Customs officials posted at Air Cargo Complex fraudulently exported fake jewellery in place of imported gold through designated agencies,” the CBI FIR has alleged. It has been said that customs officials allegedly cleared the fake jewellery as genuine gold after obtaining bribes.

“The gold bullions imported (from Gulf countries) were sold in the domestic market. To avail the refund of customs duty on imported gold, the jewellers exported fake jewellery,” it has been alleged.

The scam was busted in 2022, after the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) intercepted one such consignment. In its FIR lodged based on a complaint from the DRI, the CBI had alleged that Superintendent J Suresh Kumar facilitated 7.38 lakh grams of fake jewellery, which were made of copper and were gold-plated, valued at Rs 299.52 crore. Superintendent Alok Shukla facilitated fake jewellery valued at Rs 38.87 crore, and appraiser N Samuel Deepak Avinash allowed the export of fake jewellery valued at over Rs 149 crore.

According to one of the exporters, officials were allegedly paid Rs 50 per gram of fake jewellery cleared by them for exports, which comes to about Rs 6.99 crore, the DRI has alleged.

All these officials, along with Customs Superintendent P Thulasi Ram, have been booked by the CBI. Four exporters and jewellers -- Deepak Siroya, Santosh Kothari, Sunil Parmar, and Sunil Sharma -- and Customs House Agent A Mariappan have also been named in the FIR as accused.