Karipur/Thiruvananthapuram: Air Customs Intelligence Department seized 578 grams of smuggled gold from Kozhikode International Airport. Customs arrested Malappuram native Siddique (28) in connection with the incident. The accused tried to smuggle the gold, shaped in the form of a disk, inside an induction cooker.
He landed at the airport in the SpiceJet SG 9611 Jeddah-Karipur flight. The induction cooker was opened as the customs officer who was in duty at x-ray belt sensed something suspicious. The gold was found hidden in the form of a disk.
The seized gold is estimated to be worth Rs 28.5 lakhs. The gold was caught by a team under the leadership of customs deputy commissioner Dr NS Raji.
Gold smugglers active at TVM airport
Meanwhile, even the high profile Thiruvananthapuram Gold smuggling case could not stop the smuggling of gold via Thiruvananthapuram airport.
The gold was kept in the form of a paste by mixing it with protein powder and other chemicals. Customs authorities said that 1.5 kg gold was separated after melting more than 2 kg of paste. They also said that the seized gold is worth Rs 75 lakhs.
Assistant commissioner said that the accused are carriers of a Chennai based smuggling gang. More investigation will be conducted about this gang, he added.
They were examined and the gold was seized by Superintendents G Sudheer, P Ramachandran, U Pushpa, Rajeev Ranjan, Inspectors Baal Mukund, Ramkumar Sudhangshu, Hawildar S Baiju. The accused have been granted bail.
In another case, gold was seized from passengers who came on a Dubai flight on Sunday morning. In all, 1.7 kg of gold was seized from the Tamil Nadu natives who also hid the gold in their undergarments.
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