Bhubaneswar: Custom Department officials detained a passenger, who reached Biju Patnaik International Airport here in Air Asia’s Kuala Lumpur flight, for his alleged involvement in god smuggling.
Based on spot intelligence, they conducted thorough body search of the person and found gold weighing around 170 gm concealed in his rectum, sources said.
A silver coated gold kada and two pieces of gold worth around Rs 5.52 lakh were recovered from the detainee, who hail from Ramanathapurm in Tamil Nadu.
Also Read: Gold Worth Rs 35 Lakh Seized At Bhubaneswar Airport
He is suspected to be part of a smuggling ring and was supposed to deliver the gold for a commission, the sources added.
Also Read: Gold Worth Rs 21.89 Lakh Seized At Bhubaneswar Airport
There has been a rise in gold smuggling cases since international operations started in the city airport. In September alone, custom officials detained two individuals with gold worth Rs 21 lakh and Rs 35 lakh on separate occasions. This year, Customs officials have seized smuggled gold of about 11.709 kg worth Rs 3.63 crore till October 8.
