How a YouTuber Established a Base at Chennai Airport to Aid Gold Smugglers
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Mohammed Sabir Ali, owner of Airhub at
Chennai airport
, allegedly operated as a front for a Sri Lankan gold smuggling syndicate.
He was unable to afford the
Rs
70 lakh deposit for the lease, which was funded by a syndicate member based in Abu Dhabi.
Customs investigations revealed that Airhub facilitated the smuggling of 267 kg of
gold
worth Rs 167 crore over two months.
Vidvedaa PRG, the authorized concessionaire, terminated their
agreement
with Airhub upon discovering the smuggling activities.
Ali and his employees were recruited and trained by the syndicate to
smuggle gold
from transit passengers.
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Despite lacking retail experience, Ali was approached through his
YouTube
channel (shoppingboyz) by the syndicate to front their operations.
The syndicate provided initial
funding
and strategic guidance for Ali to establish Airhub, which opened around February.
Customs authorities are investigating how Airhub employees obtained identity cards from BCAS, violating airport regulations.
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