COVID-19 leaves room for more gold smuggling through luggage at airports

Virus has led to checking being shifted from baggage to passengers

Screening of passengers from overseas, owing to the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak, has shifted from baggage to people. This is leaving room for higher smuggling of gold through the luggage.

A Mumbai customs official said, “Customs officials are busy at ports and airports, scanning passengers to ensure that COVID-19 virus-affected people are traced. So, officials are not able to focus much on baggage checking.” 

The official added, “This could lead to more gold getting smuggled into the country as luggage check at airports is now random unlike earlier where every bag was checked thoroughly.”

Bullion market is quoting gold price at a discount to