A 32-year-old man was arrested from the international airport here today for allegedly trying to smuggle out rough diamonds of over 6,900 carats worth Rs. 3.28 crore, a senior customs official said.
The accused, identified as Ramesh Bambaniya, was arrested from Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport by the Air Intelligence Unit of the Mumbai Customs, the official said.
“We arrested Bambaniya when he about to depart to Bangkok by a Jet Airways flight with 6,975 carats of rough diamonds worth Rs. 3.28 crore,” Additional Commissioner of AIU of Mumbai Customs Milind Lanjewar said.
The diamonds were recovered from Bambaniya as he did not have any documents to establish the source of the valuables and also did not have the mandatory Kimberley Process certificates.
“The diamonds were seized under reasonable suspicion that they were being smuggled out of India in violation of the Customs Act,” Lanjewar added.
