CHENNAI: Sleuths of the airport customs have seized a total of 5.33 kilograms of smuggled gold valued at Rs 1.76 crore in the city’s airport.
Sources said on specific intelligence alert, customs officials intercepted Ubaidullah (35) of Chennai, Mohamed Azarudeen (23) of Trichy, Yasar Arafat (25) of Sivaganga, who arrived from Dubai by an Emirates Airline, and Mohamed Abdulla (26) of Ramanathapuram, who arrived from Colombo by an Indigo Airlines flight, on suspicion of carrying gold.
During a search in Ubaidullah’s checked-in baggage, four gold cut bits weighing 238 grams valued at Rs 7.85 lakh, were recovered. In a personal search of the other three passengers, gold wrapped in rubber-like material concealed in their rectum was recovered. A total of gold valued at Rs 26.43 lakh was seized under the provisions of the Customs Act 1962.On Saturday night, Air Intelligence Unit (AIU) officers on an alert that gold was likely to be concealed in an Air India flight AI-274 arriving from Colombo heading to Hyderabad, launched a search on the flight as it landed. Officials found a bundle of rubber-like material covered with adhesive tape, kept inside the rear toilet of the aircraft. About 894 grams of gold valued at `29.50 lakh was recovered, and the same was seized as unclaimed.
The same night, 14 woman passengers identified as Rajeshwari Dhanapal (23) Lakshmi Kandasamy (44), Selvalatha Sundarraj (52), Ganakavalli Subramani (52), Sangeetha Muthu (49), Vijaya Irudayapillai (51) and eight others hailing from Trichy, Chennai and Tirupur, were intercepted at the exit of customs arrival hall on suspicion of carrying gold concealed in their person.
On examination, gold wrapped in rubber material was found concealed in their rectum. Gold weighing 3.64 valued Rs 1.2 crore were recovered and the same seized under the Customs Act 1962.
Totally, 5.33 kilograms of gold worth Rs 1.76 crore was seized by officials. Investigations are on.
