Bengaluru: 1.7kg gold goes missing; 4 customs officials booked

Bengaluru: Four customs officers were booked in connection with the 1.7 kg gold that went missing from the godown of the customs office in Bengaluru, sources said on Monday.

Superintendent of Customs (Vigilance) Gopal M. had registered a Commercial Street police alleging that 1.7kg gold stored in the godown at C.R. building on Queens Road in Bengaluru has disappeared.

Based on the complaint, the police have registered a criminal case against four customs officers under IPC 409 (criminal breach of trust by public servant), 420 (cheating). The officers include two superintendents and two inspectors of the Customs department, sources added.

The missing gold was seized in separate cases of 2012 (722 grams) and 2016 (1,042 grams).

The incident came to light during the inspection by the deputy director on July 15. The complaint mentions that the accused officers have failed to produce the missing gold and they had misused it, an IANS report said.

In October 2020, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) had filed a complaint against six officials from the Customs department in connection with missing 2.6 kilograms of gold from a godown located at the Kempegowda International Airport (KIAL) in Bengaluru.

(With inputs from IANS)