International Gold Smuggling Racket Busted, Three Kenyan Nationals Arrested

Three Kenyan women were apprehended over the weekend by Indian authorities at the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport on allegations of gold smuggling.

The Air Intelligence Unit (AIU) of the Customs Department issued a statement detailing the circumstances surrounding their arrest. According to the statement, Samira Abdi (37), Feiza Hassan (25), and Fardowsa Abdi (30) arrived at the airport from Addis Ababa and proceeded to the red channel counter in Terminal 2's arrival hall, intending to declare the gold items in their possession. However, discrepancies emerged during the declaration process as the passengers had initially reported a total weight of 2.540 kg, which upon inspection proved to be an understatement.

During a personal search of Samira Mohamed Abdi, customs officials discovered 11 gold bars concealed within her undergarments. Feiza Abdi Dekh Hassan and Fardowsa Ahmed Abdi admitted to providing these gold bars to Samira for concealment purposes. The cumulative weight of the smuggled gold bars amounted to 4.483 kg with an estimated value of Rs 2.60 crore (approximately Sh40 million). In their voluntary statements, the accused acknowledged their involvement in possessing, carrying, recovering, smuggling, and handling the gold.

They claimed to have purchased the precious metal on credit from an individual named Ahmed, a resident of Eastleigh, Nairobi. Their plan was to sell the gold in the local Indian market and subsequently return the profits to Nairobi, capitalizing on the significant difference in gold prices between the two countries. This incident bears resemblance to a similar case in February 2024, when another Kenyan woman, Sadia Mohammed Ali (38), was arrested at the Mumbai International Airport for allegedly smuggling 3.6 kilograms of gold worth Sh26.4 million.

Sadia claimed that her friend Safia had drawn her into the gold smuggling racket due to financial difficulties and a desire to settle her loans. She was among eight individuals accused of smuggling gold and iPhones from foreign countries, raising concerns about security checks at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA).