1.31 kg gold worth over Rs 70 lakh seized from six flyers in Chennai

Two of the flyers had concealed gold in the form of a paste, cut a bit in their clothes and bundles in their rectum.

Chennai: Based on intelligence, the Air Customs officials have seized 1.31 kg of gold, worth Rs 70.7 lakh from six passengers who had landed in the city on Saturday and Sunday. 

512 grams of gold of 24K purity valued at Rs 27.6 lakh was recovered and seized under the Customs Act from Mohammed Asif, 24, of Chennai and Mohamed Sharif, 39, of Ramanathapuram. The duo had arrived via Air India Express IX 1644 and Indigo 6E 66 respectively. They had concealed gold in the form of a paste, cut a bit in their clothes and bundles in their rectum. 

Earlier on Saturday, four passengers Shaul Hameed, 33, of Pudukottai, Syed Ajmer Haja, 26, and Naina Mohammad, 53, of Ramanathapuram, and Jegatheesh, 53, of Trichy who had arrived from Dubai via Fly Dubai flight FZ-8517 were intercepted at the exit on the suspicion of carrying gold. On being intercepted and questioned, they all confessed to carrying gold concealed in the rectum. 

Nine bundles of gold paste weighing 898 grams were recovered and it yielded 800 grams of gold of 24K purity, valued at Rs 43.1 lakhs and was seized under the Customs Act.