MANGALURU: Customs officers at Mangaluru International Airport (MIA) have seized more than 3,000 gm of pure gold from the possession of five men in the last 13 days, it informed.
The Customs officers seized 3,124.540 gm of 24-carat pure gold worth Rs 1,59,66,883 from October 8 to October 21 via different modus operandi of concealments, including in the form of paste or powder mixed with solid gum inside the outfit of these people, a statement said.
“The Customs officers at MIA seized 3,124.540 gm of 24 carat pure gold valued at Rs. 1,59,66,883 during October 8 to 21 from five male passengers arriving from Dubai. The gold was smuggled through different modus operandi such as concealment in paste/powder form mixed with solid gum inside jeans/underwears worn by the passengers, in the rectum and through towels dipped into some solution containing gold”, it said.
The Customs officials on Thursday informed that they have apprehended a man identified as Fahad (26), a native of Thrissur, for smuggling gold by dipping bath towels in liquid gold and then packing them well, from the Kochi airport. The accused had arrived at Kochi airport from Dubai on October 10.
Previously, they had seized gold worth Rs 43 lakh from a passenger coming from Abu Dhabi at Kochi airport by acting on an input of the Air Intelligence Unit (AIU). During examination of the passenger, 1,162 gm of foreign origin gold (compound) (987 gm) was found concealed in his rectum. The Air Intelligence Unit (AIU), on October 12, intercepted a passenger identified as Abdul Jaleel, a native of Koduvally, Kozhikode, and recovered 1,066.75 gm of gold concealed in his rectum. (ANI)