Foreign currency estimated at Rs. 17 lakh also missing

Investigations by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) into the theft of seized gold from the strong room of the Customs office here recently has so far revealed that about 34 kg of gold has gone missing. In addition to the gold, foreign currency equivalent to around Rs. 17 lakh was also missing.

Three packets

A release from the Anti Corruption Branch of the CBI, Chennai, said 34 kg of gold which went missing were kept in three different packets. As part of the probe, CBI officials conducted searches at three places during which incriminating documents and files relating to seized goods were recovered. The investigation is still under way.

The Anti-Corruption Branch of the CBI booked a case on the basis of a complaint preferred by the Commissioner of Customs, Tiruchi, following missing of seized gold from the strong room of the Customs office last month.

The complaint was that a packet containing seized gold kept in the strong room was tampered with and it did not have the requisite weight of 18,512.500 grams. When the packet was opened it weighed only 3.580 grams, inclusive of the packing material, the release said.

The seized gold was found missing from the strong room when they were to be produced before the court in connection with a case.

Customs authorities, who initially informed the Tiruchi City Police, later lodged a complaint with the CBI as the property and the place from where it was missing belonged to the Centre.

Consequent to the missing of the seized gold, Customs authorities placed under suspension two officials - Mohammed Farooq, Superintendent and Senthil Kumar, Inspector of Customs.

Meanwhile, a senior CBI officer in the rank of a Deputy Superintendent of Police held discussions with the Commissioner of Customs at his office here on Wednesday.