Smuggling is back at Kerala airports as hiked import duty and restrictions make the yellow metal even more precious.
Customs officers at Pune airport seized 1.63 kg gold that was being smuggled by a passenger from Abu Dhabi.
The passenger, identified as Mohammad Yusuf, had concealed the gold at the wheels, handles and inner liners of the trolley bags. The gold was plated with rhodium to avoid detection.
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Customs officers got a whiff of the smuggling when the trolley bags passed through the screening machines.
“The gold is valued at Rs 51.35 lakh. The recovery gains importance due to the novel method that has been used by the accused to conceal the gold. The passenger has been arrested and we are investigating if he has been involved in any other case of smuggling in the past,” said K Shubhendra, Deputy Commissio-ner of Customs.
