How a YouTuber built up shop at the Chennai airport to assist gold smugglers
Mohammed Sabir Ali, the owner of the retail shop Airhub at Chennai International Airport, which was allegedly a front for a Sri Lankan gold smuggling syndicate, was funded by a member of the syndicate living in Abu Dhabi because he lacked the funds to pay Rs 70 lakh as a deposit for the lease, according to sources citing a customs investigation.
Customs has previously detained Sabir Ali and seven of his workers after discovering that they assisted in the smuggling of 267 kg of gold worth Rs 167 crore over a two-month period through a store in the airport’s departure lounge.
Airhub had received the contract from Vidvedaa PRG, the authorized concessionaire for retail space leasing at Chennai Airport.
According to a Vidvedaa insider, they canceled their deal with Airhub immediately after learning about the smuggling ring.
Ali and seven of his workers were recruited and taught by the group to smuggle gold from transit passengers to recipients outside the airport. The shop sells toys, souvenirs, and luggage.
According to sources, Ali, 29, lives in Chennai and was approached by the syndicate via his YouTube channel (shoppingboyz) to operate as their front for gold smuggling. The syndicate proposed that he create a retail outlet after obtaining information on major ads placed by Vidvedaa PRG on billboards.
According to reports, Sabir Ali had no prior retail expertise, but with the syndicate’s seed money provided through a Sri Lankan in Abu Dhabi, he was able to pay the deposit money received through intermediaries, according to the inquiry.
According to accounts, the business launched sometime in February of this year. Sabir Ali hired his staff on a contract basis via an internet employment platform. According to customs authorities, Sabir Ali and his Airhub staff received almost Rs 3 crore in commissions over the previous two months.
According to sources, the customs department is also looking into how the eight Airhub employees obtained identity cards from the Bureau of Civil Aviation Security (BCAS), despite the fact that they were merely contract employees and not on the airport concessionaire’s payroll. According to reports, this violates airport rules.
The director of Chennai Airport did not reply to TNIE’s calls or texts seeking comment on the incident.
