Chennai Air Customs on Sunday said it had seized 463 grams of gold valued at Rs 23.6 lakh from rummaging Indigo Airlines flight that had come from Dubai. The gold recovered was also from a passenger who had come by that flight on Saturday.
In a statement issued in Chennai, the Commissioner of Customs, Chennai International Airport, said that based on an intelligence input the Indigo Airlines flight which arrived from Dubai was searched. Two packets containing gold in form of paste wrapped with adhesive tape weighing 406 grams were found concealed ingeniously in inner panel of the aircraft body/wall next to one of the seats.
On extraction, 309 grams gold of 24k purity valued at Rs 15.72 lakh was recovered and seized as unclaimed under Customs Act. In another case, Kalil Rahman (49) of Ramanathapuram who arrived by same flight was intercepted at exit. On personal search one gold paste bundle weighing 176 grams was recovered, which on extraction yielded 154 grams of gold valued at Rs 7.84 lakh.
Chennai Air Customs:463 gms gold valued at Rs 23.6 lakhs seized under Custom Act in 2 cases in flt 6E66 arrvng frm Dubai (1) 309 gms recovered from aircraft during rummaging & (2) 154 gms recovered from a pax concelaed in rectum . pic.twitter.com/TfDH7sBIfF
— Chennai Customs (@ChennaiCustoms) December 13, 2020
Just last Sunday, Chennai Air Customs seized gold worth Rs.7.5 lakh stuck under a medical bandage on a passenger's back. According to reports, Ahamed Anas who had arrived from Dubai by an Air India Express flight, was intercepted at the exit gate by an alert customs officer. The interception was based on an abnormal bulge on Ahamed Anas’ upper back. Earlier this month 240 grams of 24 karat gold, worth Rs 12 lakh were recovered from two passengers intercepted at the airport. Customs officials also seized 11 iPhones, 45 cartons of cigarettes and 11 refurbished Lenovo desktops, totally valued at Rs 10.66 lakh, from the duo under the Customs Act.
In November, the airport customs officials arrested five persons involved in a gold smuggling racket including a housekeeping staff at the airport.
(With inputs from IANS)