The consignments were seized in four separate cases, all during the passenger’s exit from the airport.
The Customs Department at the Chennai airport has seized gold worth Rs 53 lakh in the last two days. The consignments were seized in four separate cases, all during the passenger’s exit from the airport. While the investigation into all four cases is underway, one person has been arrested.
On Friday, a 35-year-old woman named Selve Subramani from Coimbatore was intercepted at the exit of the departure terminal after she arrived from Singapore by Indigo airlines. On searching her, the customs officials found two semi-finished crude gold chains of 24 karat purity weighing 350 grams and valued at Rs 15.65 lakh. Later, the same day, two men, 40-year-old Qrais Naina Mohammad and 38-year-old Ravuthar Naina Mohammad both from Ramanathapuram, were found in possession with 387 grams of gold valued at Rs 17.31 lakh. They were both arriving from Colombo. Ravuthar Naina Mohammed was arrested on the spot.
On Saturday, meanwhile, a 26-year-old woman named Sharmila Bau was intercepted at the airport after she arrived from Kuala Lumpur. On searching her, officials found a plastic packet containing gold paste in her undergarments. On extraction, it was found to contain 468 grams of gold valued at Rs 20.21 lakh and was recovered and seized under the Customs Act, 1962.
In total, 1.2kg of gold was seized from the four people who were intercepted.
On Friday, the customs officials had intercepted a package containing narcotic drugs weighing a total of 384 grams and valued at Rs 30 lakh.
The parcel was found to contain blue tablets, which on testing, was found to be MDMA (methylenedioxy – methamphetamine). MDMA, commonly known as Ecstacy and Molly, is a party drug that alters mood and perception. It is chemically similar to both stimulants and hallucinogens, which produce feelings of increased energy and pleasure.
The drugs were seized under the NDPS (Narcotics, Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act) Act, 1985. According to the Customs Department, this is a major seizure of drugs in recent times.
Source: The News Minute