Hyderabad: Four arrested, 1.5 kg gold seized

Hyderabad: Three international passengers and a person who flew into Hyderabad from Mumbai were arrested in separate cases for smuggling gold into the country over the weekend. The air intelligence unit (AIU) and directorate of revenue intelligence (DRI) carried out the arrests at the Rajiv Gandhi International Airport at Shamshabad. Officials seized 1.5 kg of gold worth over 63 lakh.

In the first instance, on October 18, DRI personnel, based on specific information, intercepted a passenger who arrived at the Shamshabad airport from Mumbai on Air India Flight AI 50. When nothing suspicious was found in his baggage, the passenger was made to undergo a full body scan where suspicious objects were found concealed in his rectum. Under the supervision of doctors, three elliptical capsules were found, wrapped in black adhesive tape which contained gold in paste form.

The paste weighed 832 gm and contained 724 gm of gold, a DRI official said. Its value was pegged at Rs 27,87,400. The passenger claimed his friend had given him the gold to be handed over to an associate in the city. The passenger was arrested.

On Saturday, the air intelligence unit sleuths of the customs department booked cases against three passengers who had arrived in on a flight from Jeddah.

During checks, the passengers were found to be carrying foreign-marked gold bars weighing 295.3 gm, 303.36 gm and 316.510 gm, concealed in their baggage. The gold valued at approximately Rs 35.50 lakh was seized.