The Commissioner of Customs at the Cochin International Airport, Sumit Kumar, recently wrote a post on a closed Facebook group alleging that he frequently receives threats from smugglers and their abettors, but that he will not be cowed down or pushed into “tacit inaction”.
“Friends I deal daily with smugglers inside and out of my formation and their friends/abettors in and out of uniform. I get direct or indirect threats, pressures, to get into passive mode. However since I am not careerist or office seeker and almighty, my parents, family have given me far more than I need, I am largely immune to such person and threats. I want to tell these enemies of the nation that I am grandson and son of freedom fighters and acclaimed public servants who gave all for the nation and the constitution that all public servants are sworn to uphold. Like submariners in ocean, I dive deep, I dive silent, and I go for the kill. You can get me transferred, kicked out of my charges, even take my life, but you cannot buy my silence and/or push me into tacit inaction. I will hit with all the power and terminate your anti-national activities with extreme prejudice. I have Mataram protecting me as an angel 24/7. Jai Hind (sic),” he reportedly wrote in a closed Facebook group.
When PTI contacted Sumit Kumar, he reportedly said that the post was meant for his colleagues, who face and withstand such forces.
Last Wednesday, customs officials intercepted an Afghan national on suspicion and later, to their shock, discovered that he was carrying US dollars and Saudi riyals equivalent to Rs 10.86 crore. Yousuf Muhammed Siddique had travelled from Delhi to Kabul 17 times in the last two months. On Tuesday, his flight, which was going from Delhi to Kabul via Kochi, developed a technical snag. It didn’t take off from Kochi that evening and passengers were offloaded and provided accommodation at nearby hotels. When Yousuf was checking in the next day, he was caught.
Most of the currency was in US dollars. The seizure is believed to be one of the biggest in the country. In the last three months, Cochin International Airport has reported a total of 91 seizures that resulted in the recovery of 21.24 kilograms of gold.
Earlier, the Customs Commissioner had ordered the arrest of the CEO of Plus Max, the agency which runs the duty-free stores at the Thiruvananthapuram International Airport, as part of an investigation into alleged customs duty evasion.