MALAPPURAM: Hinting at increased gold smuggling activity through airports in the state, Customs preventive officials seized 3.5 kilograms of gold smuggled in by a passenger at the Calicut International Airport at Karipur here on Thursday. The accused has been identified as Mithlaj, 30 a native of Kinaloor, Kozhikode. The passenger arrived on the Jet airways flight from Dammam. The hidden gold was identified during routine checking. Customs officials are trying to open another two boxes seized from him which are also suspected to contain gold.
The service of experts has been called in to break open the box. This is for the second consecutive day gold has been seized from passengers in the airport. It is to be recalled that Directorate of Revenue Intelligence had seized 4.5 kilograms of gold from a passenger. The gold was smuggled in by melting the metal and pouring it into an iron. Unmesh, 35 a native of Koyilandy, was arrested in connection with the incident. The seized gold was worth Rs 1.25 crore in the international market, according to the DRI team. Earlier in March, customs officials had seized 1.4 kg of gold from Nusaiba, 30, a native of Wayanad. The gold was worth Rs 42 lakh in the international market. The gold, melted into 27 plates each weighing 52 grams each, was hidden within a Home theatre system.
