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Smuggling may rise if customs duty on gold not lowered, say experts

[email protected] (PTI)
July 27, 2014

Mumbai, Jul 27: Jewellery industry has expressed apprehensions that the government's decision of not lowering customs duty on gold from the current 10 per cent may give rise to activities in the grey market.

Gold smuggling copy
Industry experts said that the decision may stoke smuggling of the precious metal.

"This decision of not lowering the customs duty will create the problem of raw material availability. The raw material availability will go out of control and the premium on gold will again rise. It will also give rise to smuggling activities," All India Gems and Jewellery Federation (GJF) chairman Haresh Soni said here.

The premiums on gold is currently ruling at USD 6-10 an ounce in the domestic market, he said.

"These negative reports will affect the market and the premiums on gold will go up immediately," Soni pointed out.

He said the rising activities in the grey market will cost revenue loss to the government.

Echoing the view, Mumbai Jewellers Association Vice President Kumar Jain said the domestic jewellery sector, which give direct and indirect employment to about two crore people, are struggling and the manufacturing has been hit due to government policies.

"The jewellery sector is struggling and is manufacturing is impacted due to various government policies. In June the import was around 105-107 tonne easing the situation a bit. However, with Centre's decision, stock crunch in the industry will arise again," Jain added.

Gem and Jewellery Export Promotion Council Chairman Vipul Shah said industry players have been demanding the lowering of customs duty to two per cent since a long time as the CAD has been brought under control.

There have been demands for reduction of Customs duty to 2 per cent on the precious metal as the Current Account Deficit (CAD) is under control and the imports declined to 638 tonnes in 2013-14, from 845 tonnes in the previous fiscal.

In 2013, the government had hiked the Customs duty on gold in phases to 10 per cent to control gold import and to bring down the CAD.

The government and the Reserve Bank also imposed other restrictions on shipments, including linking of imports to exports, the 80:20 scheme, to prevent outgo of the foreign exchange, adding to instances of smuggling.

Through import curbs, the CAD has been brought down to USD 32.4 billion or 1.7 per cent in 2013-14.

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News Network
December 5,2025

Mangaluru: In a significant step to curb online hate and intimidation, Mangaluru City Police have registered a suo motu case against multiple Instagram accounts accused of circulating alleged provocative and threatening content.

While monitoring social media activity on Tuesday, Kankanady Town PSI Anitha Nikkam identified the Instagram handle ‘team_targetttt_900’ for posting a hate message alongside images of lethal weapons. Another account, ‘team_nagara_900’, allegedly shared a threatening post targeting activist Bharath Kumdelu, tagging additional pages such as KARAVALI-OFFICIAL.

Several other accounts — including ‘immu_bhai.fan’, ‘target_boy_900’, ‘kings_of_manglore’, ‘team_target_boys.900’, ‘arshad_mangalore’, ‘target_ka19_ullal’, ‘team_target__’, ‘troll_tigersz_900’, ‘tr_group_900’, and ‘team_target_900’ — are also under scrutiny for spreading similar inflammatory material, police said.

Authorities have urged citizens, especially young social media users, to report suspicious pages and avoid engaging with groups that glorify violence or threaten individuals. Online hate can quickly escalate into real-world harm, and police stress that sharing or promoting such content can attract legal consequences.

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News Network
December 15,2025

Mangaluru police have arrested a 27-year-old NRI on his return from Saudi Arabia in connection with an Instagram post allegedly containing derogatory and provocative remarks about the Hindu religion, officials said on Monday.

The accused, Abdul Khader Nehad, a resident of Ulaibettu in Mangaluru, was working in Saudi Arabia when the post was uploaded, police said.

A suo motu case was registered at the Bajpe police station on October 11 after an allegedly offensive post circulated from the Instagram account ‘team_sdpi_2025’. Police said the content was flagged for being provocative and derogatory in nature.

During the investigation, technical analysis traced the Instagram post to Nehad, who was residing abroad at the time, a senior police officer said. Based on these findings, a Look Out Circular (LOC) was issued against him.

On December 14, Nehad arrived from Saudi Arabia at Calicut International Airport in Kerala, where he was taken into custody on arrival. Police said further investigation is underway.

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News Network
December 20,2025

Mangaluru, Dec 20: The Mangaluru City Police have issued a detailed traffic advisory ahead of the inaugural ceremony of Karavali Utsava, which will be held at the Karavali Utsava Ground on Saturday.

The festival will be inaugurated at 6:00 pm by Dakshina Kannada District Minister Dinesh Gundu Rao. Cultural and public programmes will be held at the venue every evening and will continue until January 2.

According to City Police Commissioner Sudheer Kumar Reddy, parking of vehicles is strictly prohibited on both sides of the road from Lalbagh to Karavali Utsava Ground. Visitors are requested to park their vehicles only at designated parking areas.

To help the public, traffic signboards and parking guidance flex boards have been installed along the routes leading to the venue. The police have urged commuters and visitors to follow these instructions to ensure smooth traffic movement.

Designated Parking Locations

•    Urwa Market Ground – Cars
•    Gandhinagar Government School (near Press Club) – Two-wheelers and cars
•    Ladyhill Church parking area – Two-wheelers and cars
•    Canara School Ground, Mannagudda – Two-wheelers and cars
•    Thimmappa Hotel premises – Two-wheelers and cars
•    Scout and Guide Bhavana premises (behind Karavali Utsava Grounds) – Two-wheelers
•    Urwa Market Road – Two-wheelers
•    Hat Hill Road – Two-wheelers

The police have appealed to the public to cooperate by following traffic rules and parking guidelines to avoid inconvenience during the festival.

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