CBI books 6 custom officials after 2.5kg seized gold goes missing

Bengaluru: The CBI has booked six customs officials in a case where gold weighing around 2.5 kg went missing from the godown at the Kempegowda International Airport.

The officials – Vinod Chinnappa and K Keshav, assistant commissioners, Ministry of Finance (Custom and Central Excise), K B Lingaraju, Dean Rex, N J Ravishekar, Superintendents of Central Tax, Ministry of Finance (Custom and Central Excise), S D Hiremath and others – were entrusted with the safe custody of the gold seized from various people between 2012 and 2014, and stored in the godown.

Joint commissioner of customs M J Chetan had registered a complaint in this regard after an internal inquiry revealed the involvement of these officials.

The complaint stated that the accused abused their official position and did not carry out the inventory of gold/jewellery properly. “They did not follow the double-lock system. One key should have been kept with them and another with the superior officer, which was not done,” the FIR said.