As per reports, officials state that this crackdown is just the tip of the iceberg and that tons of gold are being smuggled into Kerala every day.
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In a massive, months-long operation to crack down on gold smuggling in the state, the Customs Department of Kerala has seized about 123 kg of gold worth Rs 50 crore from Thrissur district. The gold was seized during raids conducted by a massive team of officials from Customs Preventive Kerala in various parts of the district on Wednesday. The amount of gold seized is reportedly a record haul in Kerala. Apart from gold, Customs also seized Rs 2 crore and 1,900 US Dollars, reports Mathrubhumi. As per reports, officials state that the crackdown was just the tip of the iceberg and that tons of gold are being smuggled into Kerala daily. Out of the total 123 kg of gold confiscated, 19 kg was seized while being smuggled into the state from Chennai and Trichy, and the rest from various houses in the district. The crackdown was part of a well-planned operation by Customs officials. For the past few months, the officials were monitoring about 30 people and how often they use buses and trains to shuttle between states, among other aspects. As per reports, about half the number of Customs officials in Kerala were deployed for the operation. Raids were conducted in about 30 houses in the district. According to the officials, the nabbed smugglers had been moving around since July – when the Customs started the operation – and it is assumed that they would have carried out similar transactions during this whole period. Reports also say that according to Customs officials, not even one-fourth of the gold in the Kerala market, is being bought by paying taxes. As per reports, 15 persons, all natives of Kerala, have been booked. About 100 persons are also being questioned at present and statements of 17 dealers are being recorded. Officials have also seized computers, hard disks, CCTV cameras and documents from the houses where raids were conducted.
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