2 Mumbai airport cleaning staff held for smuggling Rs 1.6 crore foreign gold
Mumbai (PTI): The Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) has arrested two cleaning staff at Mumbai airport for allegedly trying to smuggle foreign-origin gold valued at Rs 1.6 crore, officials said on Sunday.
Investigations point to a smuggling syndicate that used international passengers to hide gold in the aircraft on arrival, which was later retrieved by the airport staff with insider access, an official said.
The two accused, employees of an airport services company, were apprehended on Saturday, the official said.
The DRI had specific information that foreign-origin gold was being smuggled through the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport here by concealing it within the aircraft and retrieving it through insider airport staff.
Accordingly, a discreet surveillance was mounted at the airport.
A team leader of the cleaning staff was seen hurriedly placing a packet on the aerobridge staircase upon noticing the DRI sleuths, the official said.
The packet was later recovered and found to contain gold dust in wax form, concealed under a white cloth, he said.
The staff member was immediately apprehended and, during interrogation, he admitted to hiding the packet to avoid detection, the official said.
He further told officials that his supervisor had retrieved the gold from an aircraft and handed it to him. Based on his statement, the supervisor was also arrested, the official said.
In total, 1.2 kg of gold dust of 24-karat purity, valued at around Rs 1.6 crore, was seized under the Customs Act, he added.
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Power tariffs under BESCOM to rise from May 1
Bengaluru (PTI): Power bills for consumers under the Bangalore Electricity Supply Company Limited (BESCOM) will go up from May 1, following an order issued by the Karnataka Electricity Regulatory Commission (KERC) on Friday.
The hike comes after KERC allowed the BESCOM to recover a revenue deficit of Rs 2,068 crore incurred in 2024-25, from the consumers.
As a result, for every unit of electricity consumed in 2024-25, the customers will be charged an additional 56 paise, it said.
"BESCOM shall calculate, for each of the active consumers of FY2024-25 the amount to be recovered based on their actual energy consumption during FY2024-25. Such amount shall be recovered during FY 2026-27 in equal monthly instalments, to be called as 'FY25 True up Charges', commencing from the first meter reading date falling on or after 1 May 2026 and concluding with the reading date ending on 30 April 2027," the order said.
"It is further ordered that BESCOM shall maintain a separate head of account, allocated for the purpose, to record the adjustment of the said amount to ensure full recovery of the deficit," it added.
Similarly Chamundeshwari Electricity Supply Corporation Limited (CESC) has also recorded a revenue deficit of Rs 121.71 crore and can collect an additional 15 paisa per unit for consumption in 2024-25, official sources said.
