Customs sleuths book two passengers, seize 815 grams of gold

The Customs Department sleuths have booked two passengers on charges of smuggling gold into Mangaluru International Airport. A total of 815 grams of gold valued at ₹50.93 lakh was seized.

According to a department communique, on the basis of profiling and extensive surveillance, the Mangaluru Customs sleuths on January 12 intercepted a passenger each who had arrived at the airport on Air India Express flights from Abu Dhabi and Dubai respectively.

Following frisking, scanning and open examination of checked-in baggage, the sleuths recovered gold in the paste form from one passenger. The passenger had concealed it his rectum in the form of oval shaped objects. The other passenger had concealed the gold in paste form inside chocolate boxes in checked-in baggage, the communique said.

The sleuths refused to reveal names of the two passengers.