Customs officials at Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport have uncovered a smuggling attempt involving gold and foreign currency, leading to the arrest of three passengers. The officials seized gold and foreign currency worth approximately ₹98 lakh from the accused. All three were produced before the court following their arrest.
In recent years, there has been a surge in the smuggling of drugs, gold, and foreign currency at international airports. As part of a special operation launched against such activities, customs officials kept a close watch on suspicious movements at the airport.
On Tuesday, two passengers arriving from Bahrain and Daman came under suspicion due to their unusual behaviour. Upon questioning and inspection of their luggage trolleys, officials discovered gold hidden beneath advertisement stickers. The team seized 24-carat gold bars weighing 247 grams, valued at around ₹22 lakh.
In a separate but related incident on the same day, another passenger bound for Bangkok from Mumbai was intercepted for questioning. During a search of his baggage, officials recovered 90,000 US dollars, equivalent to ₹76.23 lakh.
Following both operations, all three passengers were arrested under charges of gold and foreign currency smuggling. Authorities are now investigating whether the accused have been involved in similar activities in the past and are trying to identify the source of the smuggled items.