Over 10 kg of gold worth Rs 4.6 cr seized in airport

CHENNAI: Customs officials seized gold worth over Rs 4.6 crore in the city airport in separate incidents in the last few days.

Officers intercepted 6 passengers who arrived from Dubai on Thursday. While searching them, 12 gold cut bits totalling 300 grams and 6 gold ingots totalling 4,967 grams were recovered and seized.

Gold weighing 5.267 kg valued at Rs 2.34 crores was recovered and seized under the Customs Act, 1962. All six passengers were arrested.

The same day, one passenger who arrived from Bangkok was intercepted and 9 gold cut bits weighing 474 grams were seized.

On Friday, two passengers from Dubai were intercepted. After examination, 6 bundles of gold totalling 1,370 grams concealed in their rectum were recovered.

Further, two women passengers from Colombo were arrested for carrying assorted gold jewellery coated in silver colour weighing 730 grams. Later, two male passengers from Dubai were found carrying gold cut bits and chains weighing 680 grams. The items were concealed in their checked-in baggage recovered.

On the same day, one male passenger from Abu Dhabi was intercepted by AlU officers. While searching him, three bundles of gold in paste form were found in his rectum, and one gold ingot of 24K weighing 724 grams was recovered.

In another incident on Friday, a passenger from Abu Dhabi was intercepted. While searching his checked-in baggage, gold weighing about 1,298 grams were recovered.

In total, gold worth over Rs 4.6 crore weighing over 10.5 kg was seized. Further investigation is on.