Image showing a gold bar. For representational purposes.
Credit: iStock Photo
New Delhi: A man from Manipur has been arrested by the customs officials for trying to smuggle into the country gold, concealed in rectum, at the Indira Gandhi International (IGI) airport here, according to an official statement issued on Monday.
The accused (24) was intercepted after his arrival from Jeddah (Saudi Arabia) on Friday, it said.
"During personal and baggage checks, officers recovered 3 oval-shaped capsules containing yellow chemical paste suspected to be gold, weighing 1,063 grams (including concealing material) concealed in rectum cavity. After extraction, this resulted in the recovery of 951 grams of an uneven-shaped gold bar with a tariff value of Rs 70,37,552," the customs department said.
Further, two gold biscuits weighing 23 grams, valued at Rs 1.7 lakh, were also recovered from his baggage.
Thus, the yellow metal total weighing 974 grams, valued at Rs 72.07 lakh, has been seized and the passenger was arrested.