The Air Intelligence Unit (AIU) of the Customs department seized 543 grams of gold worth Rs 27.70 lakh from a passenger at Kochi airport on Friday morning.
On the basis of profiling by AIU officials, a passenger coming from Dubai to Kochi airport by flight SG 017 was intercepted at the green channel by officials. While examining the passenger, a rectangular-shaped packet suspected to contain gold in compound form and weighing 543 grams was found stitched inside his underwear. The packet has been seized by the officials.
The accused has been identified as Ashok, a native of Ernakulam and he has been arrested. Further investigations are going on in this case.
In a similar incident last week, the customs officials at the Kochi airport seized 1,062 grams of gold worth Rs 48.5 lakh from a passenger at Kochi airport from a passenger travelling from Dubai to the Kochi airport.
During the examination of the said passenger, four capsules of gold in compound form weighing 1,062 grams concealed inside his body were recovered and seized.
In the other incident last week, 833 grams of gold worth nearly Rs 38 lakh was recovered from the Kochi airport.
"During the examination of the said passenger, 3 nos of transparent latex capsule shaped packets containing thick brown coloured paste-like material, suspected to be gold in compound form, weighing 833.40 gram concealed in the passenger's rectum were recovered and seized," a statement from the Customs department read.
( With inputs from ANI )
Disclaimer: This post has been auto-published from an agency feed without any modifications to the text and has not been reviewed by an editor