Gold plates were found concealed inside two emergency lights in one case, following which the passenger was arrested.
In three separate incidents on Saturday, customs officials at Chennai International airport seized a total 1.53 kilograms of gold, worth Rs 63 lakhs.
40-year-old Abdul Rahman, hailing from Kurumbalangode in Kerala, who arrived from Riyadh on a Gulf Air flight, was intercepted at the exit of the customs arrival hall based on information. Upon searching his check-in-luggage, gold plates were found concealed inside two emergency lights. A total of 8 gold plates, weighing 593 grams and valued at Rs 24.3 lakhs, was recovered and seized from him, following which Abdul was arrested.
In two other cases, 46-year-old Yaseen from Chennai and 35-year-old Mohammad Panis of Pudur in Tamil Nadu, who arrived from Dubai by an Air India flight, were intercepted at the exit based on their suspicious movements.
On persistent questioning, they admitted to having concealed gold paste bundles in their rectum. A total of 4 bundles were recovered and upon extraction, 944 grams of gold valued at Rs 38.7 lakhs were recovered and seized. Further investigation is currently underway.
This, however, was not the first time that the authorities have foiled plots by people who try to smuggle gold by concealing it in their rectums. In November last year, customs officials intercepted two passengers carrying 1.82 kilograms of gold valued at Rs 71.5 lakhs. Upon searching them, gold in the form of rubbery spread was found concealed in the waistband of their pants following which both passengers were arrested.
Earlier in October, airport authorities seized 2.6 kilograms of gold worth Rs 1 crore, and US currency worth $10,000 from ten people on a single day. The customs officials had recovered around two kilograms of 24-carat gold valued around Rs 80 lakh from the seven men, all of whom had concealed gold in the form of rubbery material in their rectum.
Source: The News Minute