A daring attempt to smuggle gold worth Rs 45 lakh from Singapore to Chennai ended in a bust at the airport on Wednesday night. The incident involved a courier, S Govindaraju, 23, from Kancheepuram, and the intended receiver, H Kaleel Ali, 34, from Triplicane.
Govindaraju, a mechanic working in Singapore, had been employed by Kaleel Ali to smuggle gold into Chennai on multiple occasions. This time, he was sent to Singapore a week prior to the incident and tasked with bringing back 700 grams of gold in the form of chains. For his services, he was promised a modest payment of a few thousand rupees.
Upon his return to Chennai on Wednesday, Kaleel Ali met Govindaraju outside the arrival terminal to collect the gold. However, Govindaraju claimed that someone else had already received the gold on his behalf. Kaleel, suspicious of this explanation, engaged in a heated argument with Govindaraju, which nearly escalated into a physical confrontation.
Under police interrogation, Govindaraju confessed that he had given the gold to a friend before meeting Kaleel Ali. Police were able to locate Govindaraju’s friend and recover the smuggled gold.
The police investigation revealed that Govindaraju, unsatisfied with the meager payment for the risky smuggling operation, decided to keep the gold for himself.
Both Govindaraju and Kaleel Ali were handed over to customs officials for further investigation into the smuggling ring. The incident serves as a stark reminder of the risks associated with illegal smuggling and the lengths people will go to for personal gain, even at the expense of breaking the law.
