Chennai-based YouTuber Sabir Ali, who operated a souvenir shop named AirHub at Chennai airport, has been arrested for allegedly running an international gold smuggling ring. According to customs officers, Ali employed and trained seven men to smuggle gold by hiding it in their rectums. As per a TOI report, the smuggling operation, which was uncovered on June 29-30, led to the arrest of 29-year-old Ali and his seven employees.
Investigations revealed that the men were paid a monthly salary of Rs 15,000, with an additional Rs 5,000 for each “ball” of gold they smuggled. It is suspected that Ali’s smuggling contacts reached out to him through his YouTube channel, “shoppingboyz.”
Each consignment contained nearly 300 grams of gold paste or powder, packed inside silicone balls. The smugglers would receive these balls from carriers in the airport’s transit lounge, conceal them in their rectums, and then deliver the gold to customers waiting outside the airport.
Over the span of two months, the group allegedly smuggled 267 kg of gold worth Rs 167 crore. Customs officers estimate that Ali earned approximately Rs 2.5 crore during this period. One of the alleged couriers confessed to making 80 such trips in two months. To avoid detection by customs, the smugglers underwent training to hold the gold during squats.
