Korean national held for smuggling gold from Hong Kong

A 36-year-old Korean man, who arrived here from Hong Kong, was arrested on Thursday at the airport here for allegedly smuggling 4 kg of gold valued at Rs 1.56 crore by hiding it in his shoes.

Based on a tip, Customs officials intercepted the tall and well built foreign national near the exit gate when he arrived by a private airline.

When they asked him why was he in a hurry and whether he had any items to be declared, he was nervous and evasive, a customs release here said.

On searching him, two "unusually heavy packets wrapped in newspapers," were found in each of the shoes.

The packets were found to contain four gold bars weighing four kg and valued at Rs.1.56 crore and these were seized.

The Korean national, identified as Chang Sic Ban, a resident of Seoul was arrested, the release said.

During questioning, Chang informed the authorities that he was a graduate in architecture but was working as a fitness trainer as he had a passion for fitness.

He further said the gold was handed over to him by an unknown person outside the Hong Kong airport and in Chennai, he was to hand it over to some person who was supposed to identify him by his photograph.