Tamil Nadu: Gold worth Rs 27.41 lakh seized at Trichy airport

TIRUCHY: The Air Intelligence Unit (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), officials said.

The gold was ingeniously concealed in a paste-like material within the rectum of a passenger.

According to officials, the seizure was made on December 23 (Saturday).

"Based on specific intelligence, AIU officers of Trichy Airport seized 432 grams of 24k gold valued at Rs 27.41 lakh, extracted from paste-like material concealed by PAX in the rectum. The PAX travelled by IX614 Air India Express Flight from Sharjah to Trichy on December 23. Further investigation is under progress," Trichy Customs officials said.

Further investigation into the matter is underway.

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 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.