Gold worth Rs 2.16 cr seized:One held, 28 passengers detained

Customs sleuths detained 28 passengers for concealing 6.4 kg of gold in paste form worth Rs 2.16 crore in their rectum while another was arrested at the airport here, officials said on Monday.

Following a tip, the department's air intelligence wing intercepted a passenger Mohamed Niyas on his arrival from Colombo by a Sri Lankan Airlines flight on Sunday.

During interrogation, the passenger confessed to distributing the gold in paste form to 28 other passengers of the same flight, an official release said.

They were also intercepted and admitted to having received it, it said.

Mohamed Niyas was arrested as he was involved in a similar offence earlier, officials said.

According to the customs department, a passenger who smuggles gold worth more than Rs 20 lakh would be arrested. Those who carry less would be detained and later let-off after gathering their details.

Meanwhile, in another incident on Sunday night,officials intercepted Aqueab Hussain of Kadappa in Andhra Pradesh on his arrival from Kuwait by a Kuwait Airways flight.

On checking his baggage, they found gold sheets, gold rings and bits concealed in wrist watches, weighing 352 grams and worth Rs 11.88 lakh.

The contraband was seized.

Early this month, the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence sleuths seized over 30 kilograms of gold from 130 passengers at Tiruchirappalli International Airport on their arrival from various destinations.

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

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.