Woman gets three-year term for smuggling

New Delhi, Jun 1 (UNI) A city court has sentenced a woman to to three years imprisonment for smuggling gold biscuits five years ago.

On May 22, Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate (ACMM) Kamini Lau held Dina Arun Gupta guilty of smuggling gold biscuits and sentenced her to a three-year term.

The court further slapped a fine of Rs 5,30,000 on Ms Gupta.

On March 15, 2001, Gupta, 52, arrived from Singapore by an Air India flight. On reaching the Indira Gandhi International Airport, she was intercepted by customs officials and a seach of her luggage led to the discovery of 10 gold biscuits.

She also failed to produce any document ''in support of legal acquisition'' of the gold biscuits, according to the prosecution.

''Smuggling is an offence which detrimentally affects the economy of the country. In order to maintain ethical standards in society and reaffirm the faith of the people in administration of justice and to discourage smuggling, it is necessary that punishment should be imposed,'' Ms Lau said in her order.

Gupta was convicted under sections 132, 135, 135 (1) (a) of the Customs Act.

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