Mangaluru: Illegal transportation of gold from abroad: One held
Airport staff arrested for helping illegal transportation
Rs 25 lakh cash, gold worth Rs 45 lakh seized
Mangaluru, September 21: Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) team has arrested one person at Mangaluru International Airport here on Thursday on charges of illegally transporting gold from abroad. The DRI officials also arrested one staff of the Airport on charges of supporting the illegal transportation of the gold.
The arrested person was identified as Nizar Khader (32) and gold worth Rs 47 lakh was recovered from him.
Based on a tip-off that the gold is being transported from Dubai in Spicejet flight on Thursday at 6.15 pm, the DRI officials conducted the raid. When the DRI officials subjected Khader to check up in the Airport, the officials found 12 gold biscuits and one gold sheet of 1,515.270 grams from a mobile pouch. The gold was covered in plastic tape, officials said.
When the accused was interrogated, the officials were shocked that the airport staff has supported the accused in transporting the gold illegally. In view of this, the DRI officials also arrested the staff and recovered Rs 25 lakh cash from his house. The DRI officials have continued their investigation, said DRI Assistant Director Sreyas.
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I-T Department sends notice to actor-director Prithviraj Sukumaran over co-produced films
New Delhi: The Income Tax (I-T) Department has sent a notice to actor and director Prithviraj Sukumaran asking for more details about the money he earned from some films he co-produced. The notice was reportedly served during the last week of March by the I-T office in Kochi. He has been asked to respond by the end of April.
The department is seeking clarification on the income from a few movies Prithviraj was involved in as a co-producer. This comes at a time when the actor has been receiving criticism from right-wing groups over what seemed to be references to the 2002 Gujarat riots in his latest film L2: Empuraan, starring Mohanlal, which released on March 27.
On April 4, 2025, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) carried out searches at the offices of Gokulam Gopalan, a Kerala-based businessman and one of the producers of L2: Empuraan, along with a few others. These searches were part of an investigation into alleged violations of foreign exchange rules.
The I-T notice to Prithviraj is believed to be linked to an ongoing investigation that began in December 2022 into suspected tax evasion within the Malayalam film industry.
At the time, tax officials had raided the homes and offices of several producers, including Antony Perumbavoor, Anto Joseph, and Listin Stephen, over concerns about unreported income, cash deals, and overseas investments. Prithviraj’s premises were also searched during that operation.
