Gold worth Rs 64.51 lakh seized at Tiruchy airport

TIRUCHY: Officers of the Air Intelligence Unit at Trichy Airport seized 1025.12 grams of 24K purity worth Rs 64.51 lakh from a passenger arriving from Kuala Lampur, officials said. "The passenger has been arrested and further investigation is under progress," officials added.

The gold, extracted from a paste-like material, was concealed within the rectum of the passenger. "On the basis of specific intelligence, AIU officers of Trichy Airport seized 1025.12 grams of 24k gold valued at Rs. 64.51 lakh, extracted from paste-like material weighing 1120 gm concealed by a Malaysian Passenger in the rectum," officials said.

The passengers travelled by OD223 Batic Air Flight from Kuala Lumpur to Trichy on January 8, 2024, they said. In December, the AIU at Trichy Airport confiscated 432 grams of 24k gold, valued at Rs 27.41 lakh, from a passenger arriving from Sharjah (United Arab Emirates), as per officials.

On October 17, the Air Intelligence Unit (AIU) at the Trichy airport in Tamil Nadu seized a gold bar with a purity of 24 karats from a passenger arriving from Kuala Lumpur (Malaysia), officials said. The gold bar was extracted from gold paste kept in capsules concealed in the rectum by the passenger.

The seized gold, weighing 717 grams, was priced at Rs 42.91 lakh, a Customs Department official had said. Earlier in the same month, the AIU at the Trichy airport seized gold worth Rs 1,08,10,800 extracted from paste-like materials concealed in shoes and underwear worn by the children of a male passenger. The passenger had arrived from Malaysia's Kuala Lumpur.