Chennai: 8.45 kg gold worth Rs.4.30 crores seized by Air Customs, nine arrested

The Air Customs department in Chennai on Friday arrested nine people for smuggling gold to India from foreign countries in two separate cases.

Gold recovered from rectum

On Friday, seventeen passengers including four women who had arrived from Dubai via Fly Dubai flight FZ 8515 and Emirates flight EK 542 were intercepted at exit on suspicion of carrying of gold. On their personal search 48 bundles of gold paste weighing 9.03 kg was recovered from rectum. On extraction 7.72 kgs of gold worth Rs. 3.93 crores was recovered. On further search 12 gold cut bits weighing 386 grams and 1 gold chain weighing 74 grams were also recovered from their pockets and hand bags. In total, 8.18 kgs of gold worth Rs. 4.16 crore was recovered and seized under Customs Act. Nine people have been arrested including one woman.

Gold paste recovered

In another case, On Saturday, one Kalandar Ilyas, 28, of Ramanathapuram who arrived from Sharjah by Indigo flight 6E 8245 was intercepted at the exit. On personal search three bundles of gold paste weighing 310 grams was recovered from his rectum. On extraction, 271 grams of gold worth Rs. 14 lakh was recovered and seized under Customs Act.

Further investigation is underway, said,

officials.