Gold worth Rs 64 lakh seized by Chennai Sirport Customs, 2 arrested

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Chennai: Two people were arrested in connection with the seizure of 1.16 kilograms of 24 karat gold worth Rs 64 lakh by Customs at the Chennai Airport on Friday, a statement from the Office of the Commissioners of Customs informed.

"Based on intelligence that gold was likely to be smuggled by a passenger arriving from Sharjah, officers kept special watch to nab the smugglers. A passenger, Jahir Hussain (54) from Thiruvarur, who appeared to be in a hurry and was trying to rush through with a carton box, was intercepted at the exit. On careful inspection, the gold was found hidden inside an `electric wrench`," the statement said.

It further said that the passenger said that the toolkit which had the wrench was handed to him by an unknown person in Sharjah airport with instructions to hand over the same to someone who will contact him once he reaches his five-star Quarantine facility in Guindy. 

"In a swift operation after getting his swab test done, one Air Intelligence Unit team boarded the bus along with the passenger and another followed the bus. On reaching the hotel the passenger contacted the receiver who was waiting outside and handed over the tool kit. The passenger and the receiver Mohammad Asif (33) of Chennai were apprehended at the time of handing over. Both have been arrested," the statement added.