Gold smuggled in by Mangalurean via imported Mini Cooper car seized

February 14, 2016

Mangaluru, Feb 14: The customs investigators in Kerala have seized 7 kg of gold smuggled in a car imported by a native of Mangaluru through Kochi port.

14 crude gold chains of 24 carat, each weighing 500 gm concealed in the fuel tank of the imported Mini Cooper car were seized by the authorities said KN Raghavan, Commissioner, Cochin Customs.

The luxury car was imported under Carnet De Passage — a duty-free car import facility for tourists.

“This suggests that smugglers are patient enough to wait for the contraband to arrive at the destination via ship, a time-consuming operation,” said KN Raghavan.

According to sources, the car and its contents had been booked in the name of Moideen Kunhi from Puttur, near here.

The official said 25 to 30 cars were imported through the Carnet De Passage scheme on a year-on-year basis in Kochi. Cars imported under the scheme are permitted for use anywhere in India for six months.

The seized Mini Cooper valued around Rs. 25 lakh will also be confiscated under the provision of Customs Act.

Comments

This is the handy work of gold smugglers may not be necessary from Mangalore. Karnataka state is full of Gold merchants as they are 95% from Kerala. Need to know by the public the beneficiary of the Cooper Mini and unearth the gold smugglers.

Cars imported under the scheme are permitted for use anywhere in India for six months....

After six months, what is the status. What to do?

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Elusive bamboo shrimp resurfaces in Mangaluru estuary after 70 years

News Network

December 7,2025

Mangaluru, Dec 7: A rare bamboo shrimp has been rediscovered on mainland India more than 70 years after it was last reported, confirming for the first time the presence of Atyopsis spinipes in the country. The find was made by researchers from the Centre for Climate Change Studies at Sathyabama Institute of Science and Technology, Chennai, during surveys in Karnataka and Odisha.

The team — shrimp expert Dr S Prakash, PhD scholar K Kunjulakshmi, and Mangaluru-based researcher Maclean Antony Santos — combined field surveys, ecological assessments and DNA analysis to identify the elusive species. Their findings, published in Zootaxa, resolve decades of taxonomic confusion stemming from a 1951 report that misidentified the species as Atyopsis moluccensis without strong evidence.

The shrimp has now been confirmed at two locations: the Mulki–Pavanje estuary near Mangaluru and the Kuakhai River in Bhubaneswar. Historical specimens from the Andaman Islands, previously labelled as A. moluccensis, were also found to be misidentified and actually belong to A. spinipes.

The rediscovery began after an aquarium hobbyist in Odisha spotted a shrimp in 2022, prompting systematic surveys across Udupi, Karwar and Mangaluru. Four female specimens were collected in Mulki and one in Odisha, all genetically matching.

Researchers warn the species may exist in very small, vulnerable populations as freshwater habitats face increasing pressure from pollution, sand mining and infrastructure development. All verified specimens have been deposited with the Zoological Survey of India for future reference.

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