Gold smugglers target India-bound passengers at Changi Airport to be mules
The authorities in India, including Customs officials, are on the lookout for travellers acting as gold mules, who return home with jewellery they had agreed to carry for a fee.
This comes in the wake of a spike in gold smuggling to the country, and amid reports of syndicates targeting travellers at various airports in jurisdictions in the Gulf, as well as in Asia, including Malaysia and Singapore, where gold is cheaper than in India.
The Straits Times learnt that smugglers have been approaching Indian migrant workers flying home via Changi Airport Terminal 1.
Travellers who show an interest in being a gold mule are directed to a quiet spot in the airport, where a deal is struck. During negotiations, the courier is assured that a syndicate runner will retrieve the gold jewellery from him when he lands in India.
Mr Mohamed Bilal, president of the Gem Traders Association of Singapore, said that while it is not illegal in Singapore for travellers to carry gold out of the country, the couriers risk breaking the law in India when they do not declare the gold they are carrying in.
Male Indian nationals are permitted to carry up to 20g of duty-free gold, of a maximum value of 50,000 rupees ($800), into India. The limit for female Indian nationals is double in terms of weight and value.
Gold jewellery carried over and above these limits will attract Customs duty.
Mr Bilal said that the practice has been going on for decades, adding that Singapore’s gold is prized due to its quality.
ST had observed the activities on separate occasions from July 2023. The men who approach the passengers work as runners for bosses who observe the proceedings from a safe distance.
According to media reports, syndicates have hidden small gold bars in belts, toys, luggage lining and even shoes.
Sometimes, smugglers also bring in gold dust or paste. Indian Customs learnt that some of the passengers arrested had been to Gulf countries on “sponsored trips”, and returned with gold hidden in their luggage.
Among the smuggled gold uncovered by the Indian authorities, some came from flights originating from Dubai, Malaysia and Singapore.
ST understands that the gold smuggling runners at T1 want the mules to carry jewellery of between 25g and 30g of gold, which is just outside the legal limit.
On July 17, ST spotted runners from three different groups approaching Indian nationals at Changi Airport.
A migrant worker from India recorded the conversations he had with the runners.
Mr Subhas he was at T1 departure hall when two men approached him and quizzed him on his travel plans. He was headed back to Chennai.
In less than 30 minutes, the construction worker in his late 20s said he was approached by three separate groups of men, all with the same proposal.
Mr Subhash said: “They wanted me to carry for them between 25g and 30g of gold, and said they will give me 5,000 rupees. I pretended by asking if it was legal. They all told me it was.”
Lawyer Hamidul Haq said the issue here is whether migrant workers are aware that they could potentially be working for organised crime. “If ‘yes’, (then) there is possibly an offence even though taking gold out by itself may not be an offence on its own."
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