While some of them were excellent, most were passable. But many were far superior to the theatrical releases.
40-50 tonnes of gold may have been smuggled into India in July-September; industry seeks duty cut
In a draft paper prepared by the RBI seeking public opinion until January 18, the banking regulator has proposed a financial instrument linked to gold to curb the demand of its physical holding.
Rao acted in an "obscene manner which is unbecoming of a government servant and also caused embarrassment to the government", his suspension order read.
It is difficult to make conveyor belt and baggage-scanning scenes thrilling -- which is how most people trying to sneak out through the Green Channel are caught -- but Neeraj Pandey and co-director Raghav M Jairath and co-writer Vipul K Rawal make sure there is enough going on to make the series watchable, raves Deepa Gahlot.
The Karnataka government has withdrawn its order directing the Criminal Investigation Department to probe possible lapses and dereliction of duty by police officers at Kempegowda International Airport in Bengaluru in connection with actor Ranya Rao's gold smuggling case. The CID probe order was issued on Monday night. A subsequent order on Wednesday withdrawing the CID investigation stated that Additional Chief Secretary Gaurav Gupta is already probing the possible role of Ranya's stepfather, K Ramachandra Rao, a DGP-rank officer, in the case. Gupta's inquiry will focus on the facts and circumstances leading to the misuse of protocol-related facilities and Rao's involvement in the case. Recently, gold bars worth Rs 12.56 crore were seized from Ranya at Kempegowda International Airport here. The next day, officials said, searches were conducted at her residence where gold jewellery worth Rs 2.06 crore and Rs 2.67 crore in cash were recovered.
Shah also said Kerala used to be known for development, literacy and for promoting tourism, but "with the ruling LDF and opposition UDF coming to power alternately has resulted in making the state a platform for political violence."
An Air India Express flight cabin crew has been arrested by the Customs for allegedly smuggling over 1.4 kg gold through Cochin International Airport near Kochi, official sources said.
The Karnataka Industrial Area Development Board (KIADB) has confirmed that Kannada actor Ranya Rao, recently arrested for gold smuggling, was allotted 12 acres of industrial land in 2023 by the previous BJP government for setting up a steel plant. The allocation was approved during a state-level meeting in January 2023, when the BJP was in power. The Congress government, which came to power after the May 2023 elections, has released documents confirming the land allotment. Ranya Rao was arrested after gold bars worth Rs 12.56 crore were seized from her at Bengaluru airport.
To check rising current account deficit, the government raised import duties and the RBI imposed curbs on import of the metal and also laid down various pre-conditions for inward shipments of the precious metal.
To check rising current account deficit, the government has raised import duties and the Reserve Bank of India had imposed curbs on import of the yellow metal and also laid down various pre-conditions for inward shipments of the precious metal.
Wardak had taken charge as the acting ambassador of Afghanistan to New Delhi since late last year after working as the Afghan Consul General in Mumbai for over two years.
Kannada actress Ranya Rao's frequent trips to Dubai have come under intense scrutiny following her arrest for allegedly smuggling gold into India.
Kannada actress Ranya Rao was arrested at Bengaluru International Airport for allegedly smuggling 14.8 kg of gold. Authorities suspect she may have attempted to use her connections to bypass customs checks. Officials are investigating whether she was acting alone or part of a larger smuggling network.
Kannada actress Harshavardhini Ranya, accused in a gold smuggling case, has alleged that DRI officials assaulted her and forced her to sign blank and typed papers. She claims she was wrongly accused of carrying over 14 kg of gold upon her return from Dubai and was physically abused while in detention. Ranya also alleges that officials threatened to expose her father's identity if she refused to sign fabricated statements.
The government has hiked gold import duty to 15 per cent from 10.75 per cent to check the current account deficit (CAD) and rising import of the yellow metal. The duty changes came into effect on June 30. Earlier, the basic customs duty on gold was 7.5 per cent, now it will be 12.5 per cent.
Total pending Customs arrears, including amounts under litigation, court stays and cases where the appeal period has not expired, stood at about Rs 1.36 trillion at the end of December 2024.
Customs officials in Kerala conducted raids across the state, seizing luxury vehicles illegally imported from Bhutan with forged documents. The operation, dubbed 'Operation Numkhor,' targeted multiple locations and uncovered a network involved in smuggling cars, gold, and drugs.
Thirty people who were detained at the Lucknow airport for allegedly smuggling gold into the country escaped after one of them pretended to fall sick and created chaos, officials said.
Most investors should have a 5% to 10% allocation to gold for diversification. They should stagger their investments to mitigate timing risk.
Huge margins, high custom duty and increasing demand among youngsters have led to exponential increase in smuggling of foreign cigarettes.
'It has also outlived its initial purpose of reducing physical gold imports.'
At a time when none in Kerala's Left politics questioned the chief minister's authority, MLA P V Anvar hurled a series of accusations against Pinarayi Vijayan's government, notes Shyam G Menon.
'Customers are coming in; if they aren't buying, they are at least visiting the stores, which was not the case before the Budget.'
The investigation agency said during the custody, Suresh had disclosed that she had kept proceeds of the crime at the bank lockers and invested as deposits in various banks.
D Subbarao reiterated concerns over rising gold imports and its pressure on current account deficit.
Looking at the OTT releases coming up this summer.
The government and the Reserve Bank had also imposed certain other restrictions on its shipments, including linking of imports to exports to prevent outgo of the foreign exchange.
Over 60 kg of gold "concealed and smuggled" by several passengers on three flights coming from Singapore and Malaysia was seized at the Visakhapatnam airport by the directorate of revenue intelligence, officials said on Monday.
15% of India's gold this year is likely to be smuggled in or arrive via other unofficial channels to beat a 10% levy imposed by the government
The Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs (CBIC) has stepped up its watch on the import of unbranded gold jewellery amid a spurt in seizures on international borders and from importers. During FY24, the CBIC and Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) jointly seized about 5 tonnes of gold, 30 per cent more than what they did in FY23. In FY23, 3.5 tonnes of gold was confiscated.
A rise in import duty could be a reason for increase in illegal consignments, say experts.
Custom authorities have been keeping strict vigil on the cargo movements from Bhutan, Taiwan, China, Afghanistan, South Korea Japan, and Dubai since January.
Gold imports more than doubled in August to a record high of $10.06 billion, mainly on account of a drastic cut in customs duty and ongoing festive demand, according to the Commerce Ministry data. Gold imports stood at $4.93 billion in August 2023. On record high imports, Commerce Secretary Sunil Barthwal said that the tariff rates on gold have been reduced drastically so that smuggling and other activities can come down.
Instead of hiking duties, he plans to introduce inflation-indexed instruments to help curb a record current account deficit.
With gold smuggling rising, jewellers have to be sure of the source of the gold being exchanged.
Official imports into India shrank almost 90 per cent in the six months to November
The British Broadcasting Corporation alleged that the UN had covered up claims that its troops in Congo had indulged in these activities, claiming it had new eye-witness accounts to refute UN claims that no weapon transfers had taken place. The report came against the backdrop of India having its biggest-ever peacekeeping contingent in the troubled African country.
The Reserve Bank too imposed a series of curbs to restrict gold imports.
Unnecessary victimisation may "reflect in the bilateral relations", the Bombay high court said on Thursday while ordering the authorities to issue exit permit to a Chinese woman who was acquitted in a gold smuggling case yet could not leave India.
