JOIN USSmuggled gold, hidden in knee cuff and slippers, seized at KIA
Customs officials at the Kempegowda International Airport here seized a substantial amount of gold being smuggled by three different inbound overseas passengers between Thursday evening and Friday night. The arrests were made following tip-offs by the customs’ air intelligence unit.
On Thursday, officials seized around 2.37 kg of crude gold by intercepting Kodagu native Mohammed, 25, as he arrived from Dubai. He had concealed the gold in the paste form in a knee cuff. Upon melting, the gold weight reduced to 1.43 kg, which is worth around Rs 73 lakh.
On Friday, officials caught Venkatesh, a native of Kadapa, Andhra Pradesh, as he allegedly smuggled a 150-gram gold chain worth around Rs 7.78 lakh on his way back from Kuwait.
The third case involved a Honnavar resident, Mohammed Ashraf, on Friday. Ashraf, who was flying out of Dubai, had hidden gold paste in his slippers. The paste weighed about 399 grams. Upon melting, officials were able to retrieve around 250 grams of gold, worth around Rs 12.77 lakh. Three separate cases of gold smuggling have been registered.