At Tamil Nadu's Tiruchirappalli airport, officials from the air intelligence unit seized 977 grams of gold valued at Rs 70.58 lakh from a passenger arriving from Dubai on an Air India flight. The gold was concealed in three packets, containing a paste-like material weighing a total of 1081 grams, hidden within the passenger's rectum. The passenger was arrested and authorities are probing the incident.
Earlier in March, authorities at the same airport seized 410 grams of gold, worth Rs 26.62 lakh, from a passenger arriving from Singapore. The gold, extracted from paste-like material, amounted to 330 grams of 24K gold, with an additional 80 grams concealed in the passenger's vest.
ALSO READ: Rahul Gandhi, Priyanka Or Robert Vadra? Congress To Decide On Amethi, Rae Bareli Dilemma Today
Similar incidents have occurred at Mumbai airport, where customs officials recently confiscated diamonds and gold collectively valued at Rs 6.46 crore. The diamonds were hidden inside noodle packets in transparent airtight pouches and concealed within a check-in bag, while the gold was concealed in baggage and body parts of the passengers. Four passengers were arrested in connection with 13 separate cases.
In one instance, an Indian national traveling from Mumbai to Bangkok was apprehended for attempting to smuggle diamonds worth Rs 2.02 crore. The passenger was remanded into custody following arrest by a city court.
Furthermore, gold dust concealed in wax was reportedly discovered within the body parts of certain passengers, while gold bars were recovered from various sources including trousers, pockets, baggage, and undergarments. In total, officials seized 6.81 kg of gold.
During another recent operation, 10 Indian nationals arriving from different countries were found carrying 6.19 kg of gold, originating from destinations such as the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Doha, Riyadh, Muscat, Bangkok, and Singapore.