In Kerala, customs and cops are on a collision course over gold smuggling

A veritable wrestling match has broken out in north Kerala between two law enforcement arms — the police in Malappuram district and the Customs department officials of the Calicut International Airport. The two agencies have been on a collision path over the right to seize the flood of smuggled gold that is entering Kerala hidden inside baggage and bodies. In the past couple of years, the police started busting gold smuggling rackets just outside the perimeter of the airport, while casually dismissing the Customs department as incompetent to do the job.

While the Malappuram police have stacked up an impressive list of gold-busts since they started in 2022, it hasn't been without friction. Things came to head when the police detained and interrogated an Inspector rank officer of the Central Tax and Central Excise department, the parent department of the Customs authorities at the Calicut airport. Worse, the officer fell unconscious in police custody, adding to the already tense relations between them. The precedent set by the Malappuram police is now being followed by their counterparts in Kochi as well as Thiruvananthapuram.