New Delhi: Customs officials at Kerala’s Kochi Airport are reported to have seized 1.17 kg gold worth Rs 48 lakh after a passenger coming from Dubai was intercepted over the weekend. The gold was filled in four capsuled-shaped packets concealed inside the passenger’s body, news agency ANI reported. In a similar incident, customs officials nabbed a passenger coming from Doha at the same airport with 1.63 kg gold worth Rs 45 lakh on Sunday. He was found with gold compounds packed in a condom and concealed in his rectum.
Air Intelligence Unit (AIU) of the Customs Department intercepted a passenger coming from Dubai at Kochi airport today morning and seized gold weighing 1.17 kg worth Rs 48 lakhs concealed inside his body in four capsules shaped packets: AIU, Customs Kochi pic.twitter.com/qismJ55AE9
— ANI (@ANI) December 19, 2022
Several such cases have also been reported in the past where passengers were detained for possessing gold and drugs at airports as reported by Hindustan Times.
Mumbai Airport
Earlier in November, customs officials at the Mumbai airport seized gold and heroin in seven different checks. The officials recovered gold dust packets from different passengers arriving from Dubai, whereas, they also seized gold bars worth Rs 1.04 crore in two different instances. Heroin was seized from a passenger arriving from Kenya.
Amritsar Airport
Customs officials at the Amritsar airport busted a gang on December 12 that was involved in smuggling foreign currencies and gold. A female passenger was intercepted while boarding a flight to Dubai. She was found with currencies including Euros, GB Pounds, Australian Dollars along with others.
Bengaluru Airport
A passenger in Bengaluru’s Kempegowda International Airport was arrested for smuggling gold in an iron box. He was found carrying gold bars worth Rs 1.06 crore. According to customs officials, the gold bars were in the shape of a boat and weighed 3,015 grams that were extracted from a metal box. The person was arrested and sent to judicial custody.
Mumbai Airport
A woman was arrested at the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport in Mumbai for carrying 490 grams of cocaine in a special cavity made in her sandal. In a video shared by ANI, officials were seen tearing the sandals to recover the drugs that was estimated to be worth Rs 4.9 crore.
