Hyderabad customs custody escape sparks gold smuggling probe
HYDERABAD: TP Sadakkathulla, a Kerala resident suspected to be involved in an international gold smuggling racket, escaped from the custody of customs officials at Rajiv Gandhi International Airport (RGIA) while they were extracting gold from a paste seized from him.
The incident comes shortly after Dhaval Doshi, who had been detained by immigration officials based on a Look Out Circular, escaped from their custody at the airport.
According to customs officials, they received information that a passenger travelling from Thiruvananthapuram to Hyderabad on an IndiGo flight on the 17th of last month was carrying gold paste. The Air Intelligence Unit of Hyderabad Customs was alerted and intercepted Sadakkathulla.
An X-ray scan detected a black packet in his possession. During questioning, he told officials that he had picked up the packet, which another passenger had left under a seat.
Sadakkathulla reportedly told officials that he had been promised a commission of ₹10,000 for carrying the gold to Hyderabad. He was supposed to hand over the packet to a person waiting outside the airport.
The packet weighed 697 grams, including the packaging.
Customs team takes suspect to gold extraction facility
In the presence of witnesses, customs officials took Sadakkathulla to a gold extraction facility in RB Nagar near Shamshabad. They began the process of melting the paste to extract the gold.
During the process, Sadakkathulla allegedly pushed customs officer Lavkesh Kumar Meena and ran towards the main road. Officials chased him, but he managed to disappear into the crowd.
The customs officials subsequently lodged a complaint with RGIA police, which registered a case.
After the paste was melted, officials recovered 570 grams of gold. Its market value was assessed at ₹90,56,067.
RGIA police said they were investigating the case from all angles and were searching for the accused.
“We are conducting a detailed investigation from all angles and making efforts to trace the accused who is on the run,” RGIA police station Sub-Inspector P Ashok Varma told Sakshi.
