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Bullion smuggling outstrips narcotics to feed India's gold habit

Section: Daily Dispatches

By A. Ananthalakshmi and Siddesh Mayenkar
Reuters
Tuesday, December 3, 2013

Indian gold smugglers are adopting the methods of drug couriers to sidestep a government crackdown on imports of the precious metal, stashing gold in imported vehicles and even using mules who swallow nuggets to try to get them past airport security.

Stung by rules imposed this year to cut a high trade deficit and a record duty on imports, dealers and individual customers are fanning out across Asia to buy gold and sneak it back into the country. ...

"Gold and narcotics operate as two different syndicates but gold smuggling has become more profitable and fashionable," said Kiran Kumar Karlapu, an official at Mumbai's Air Intelligence Unit.

"There has been a several-fold increase in gold smuggling this year after restrictions from the government, which has left narcotics behind." ...

That suggests official data showing a sharp fall in gold buying, which has helped narrow India's current account gap, may significantly underestimate the real level of gold flows.

... For the full story:

http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/12/03/india-gold-smuggling-idUSL4N0J...



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