700 grams gold seized from flier at Kovai airport

Customs officials said that those two passengers were checked based on a tipoff. DRI personnel along with customs personnel who checked the Air Arabia flight that landed here at 4.10 am found some materials concealed in the rectum of a passenger by name Murshad (32) from Kasargode in Kerala. He was taken to a nearby private hospital and a scan revealed that he had a total of six metal bars concealed in his rectum.

On recovering the bars, they confirmed that those are gold bars weighing 700 grams worth of Rs 25 lakh. It is learnt that Murshad was only a carrier and that usually persons involved in smuggling pick up the gold carriers from the airport. A search was launched to nab members of the group, but in vain as they managed to flee following delay in the gold carrier leaving the airport. Murshad was detained for questioning. 

This is the second seizure of gold from an international passenger at the airport here, this year. On July 31, customs personnel recovered 930 grams of gold that was concealed by a 25-year-old passenger in the rectum.

The DRI personnel on Saturday also seized 30 cartons of imported cigarettes from another passenger, Yusuf (28) of Kasargode. The cigarettes worth Rs 60,000 were found packed in the baggage and was seized. A fine was imposed on him.

On the other hand, customs personnel have stepped up vigil at the Coimbatore International Airport to check black money transaction. An official said that several thousand crore Indian rupees has been stocked abroad and the demonetisation of Rs 1,000 and Rs 500 currencies would leave those who have stocked it with no other option but bring them back to India for exchanging. Two international flights are operated from the Coimbatore International Airport – Silk Air connecting Singapore and Air Arabia connecting Sharjah. The number of customs personnel deployed at the airport for checking the international passengers have been increased while the process of checking passengers landing here has been intensified.