Gold foil smuggled in chocolates

Customs officials at the Kempegowda International Airport on Thursday foiled a gold-smuggling attempt by arresting a passenger. They also seized gold weighing 384.1 gm worth Rs 11.83 lakh that was concealed inside chocolate and chewing gum wrappers, a new modus operandi.

Officials intercepted a passenger named Rauf Kattakkal, a resident of Kasargod in Kerala who arrived from Bahrain by flight GF282.

While the officials were scanning his check-in baggage, they observed some dark images.

On detailed examination, they found that the images were from a bag containing chocolates and chewing gum. When the officials inspected the chocolates and gum, they found that they were wrapped in gold foil which was further wrapped with an outside chocolate skin.

“Smugglers presume the customs here will not check chocolates or chewing gum which are part of most passengers’ baggage coming from abroad. But we continue to prove them wrong,” said Harsh Vardhan Umre, Additional Commissioner, Customs, Bengaluru.