Guj:Two airports to get upgraded X-ray baggage scanning system

In a bid to improve the luggage screening process, the Ahmedabad Customs Commissionerate has decided to install eight units of X-ray Baggage Inspection System (XBIS) at the Ahmedabad and Surat international airports, an official said on Monday.

These advanced luggage screening units will be also installed at Inland Container Depot at Khodiar village near Ahmedabad and Foreign Post Office here, he said.

These X-ray units are much-advanced than the current luggage screening system in place at Ahmedabad and Surat international airports, Principal Commissioner Kumar Santosh of Ahmedabad Customs told reporters here.

"Current luggage screening units are around five to six years old. Some units often experience technical snag and stop functioning at the airport.

The Ministry of Finance has approved eight XBIS for better luggage screening and we will receive these advanced units very soon," Santosh said.

Meanwhile, to thwart any attempt of smuggling, particularly of gold, the Ahmedabad Customs has now started profiling of passengers using a newly developed system, called Advanced Passenger Information System (APIS).

Using APIS, an Indian passenger was recently held at the Ahmedabad airport for trying to smuggle 600 grams of gold upon his arrival from Sharjah, said Santosh.

The customs department started doing profiling of passengers and find frequent travellers list through APIS.

A person with frequent travel history is most likely to be a smuggler whose only intention for the foreign trip will be to bring the gold illegally.

The Ahmedabad Customs had registered 113 cases of gold smuggling between April 1, 2019 and January 20 this year, and seized 77 kgs of gold worth Rs 27.11 crore at Ahmedabad and Surat airports.

Majority of the apprehended passengers arrived from Dubai, Sharjah, Oman, Kuwait and Bangkok, he added.