DRI seizes over 30 kg of gold from passengers at Tiruchirappalli airport

The Directorate of Revenue Intelligence sleuths on Wednesday seized over 30 kilograms of gold from 130 passengers at Tiruchirappalli International Airport upon their arrival from various destinations, officials said.

Acting on a specific information that a large number of "passenger carriers" were smuggling gold into India through the Tiruchirappalli airport, the DRI sleuths from Chennai, Tiruchirappalli, Coimbatore, Tuticorin and Madurai conducted a massive joint operation on the intervening night of November 5 and 6, they said.

As many as 130 passengers, who arrived from places like Dubai, Sharjah, Malaysia and Singapore, were profiled and intercepted, an official release issued said.

"The passengers were found to be carrying over 30 kilograms of gold in various forms including jewellery, crude bits, paste form mostly on their person and by body concealment," the release said.

Besides the precious metal, the officials seized electronic goods including iPhones, drones and other goods in commercial quantities from the passengers, the release said, adding an investigation is on.

Despite repeated attempts, the DRI officials did not reveal the value of the gold seized and also whether the passengers were arrested or detained.