Guj bizman held at airport for bid to smuggle 5cr diamonds

Mumbai: A Gujarat businessman was apprehended by customs while attempting to smuggle diamonds worth Rs 4.93 crore. The accused, BharatbhaiNathani (45), was to fly to Bangkok on Wednesday when CISF intercepted him on suspicion. During routine screening, officials found 26 plastic pouches containing white, diamond-like material concealed inside a laptop. A baggage and personal search led to discovery of four more packets of similar material from his check-in baggage. Nathani was produced before the local court, which sent him to judicial custody. Advocates Ravi Hirani and Arman Shaikh submitted that their client was falsely implicated in the case and claimed that the diamonds were overvalued. Customs department officials said this could be part of a larger smuggling network. Meanwhile, customs intercepted 14 Kenyan nationals arriving from Nairobi and seized 22 kt melted gold bars and jewellery weighing 2,741 gm worth Rs 1.85 crore. The smuggled gold was cleverly concealed in the undergarments and pockets of the passengers. — S Ahmed AliMumbai: A Gujarat businessman was apprehended by customs while attempting to smuggle diamonds worth Rs 4.93 crore. The accused, BharatbhaiNathani (45), was to fly to Bangkok on Wednesday when CISF intercepted him on suspicion. During routine screening, officials found 26 plastic pouches containing white, diamond-like material concealed inside a laptop. A baggage and personal search led to discovery of four more packets of similar material from his check-in baggage. Nathani was produced before the local court, which sent him to judicial custody. Advocates Ravi Hirani and Arman Shaikh submitted that their client was falsely implicated in the case and claimed that the diamonds were overvalued. Customs department officials said this could be part of a larger smuggling network. Meanwhile, customs intercepted 14 Kenyan nationals arriving from Nairobi and seized 22 kt melted gold bars and jewellery weighing 2,741 gm worth Rs 1.85 crore. The smuggled gold was cleverly concealed in the undergarments and pockets of the passengers. — S Ahmed Ali
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