Customs officials foil bid to smuggle 1 kg gold at Chennai airport

CHENNAI: Air Intelligence Unit (AIU) of Customs department foiled bids to smuggle one kg Gold worth Rs 31 lakhs and foreign currency equivalent to Rs 6.4 lakh at Anna International Airport in Chennai.

Working on a tip-off that gold will be smuggled by a passenger arriving by Malaysian Airlines flight MH-180 on Thursday, the AIU sleuths apprehended an airport employee in the aerobridge area as he was walking in a rather hurried manner after brushing past a passenger.

Since, he was evasive in his replies he was searched resulting in seizure of four gold bars of foreign origin weighing  400 grams valued at Rs.13 lakh. From airport entry pass, he was identified as one Muneer CK, 25, a contractual employee of  Bhadra International Pvt Ltd who was posted on duty to attend to Malaysian Airlines flight MH-180.

He informed that the gold was handed over to him by a passenger whom he identified.  The AIU officers apprehended the passenger at the exit of  Customs arrival hall in nick of time as he was about to go out. The passenger was identified as  Mohammed Aaquil of Indian origin who had arrived from Kuala Lumpur.

On Friday, two male passengers --- Mohamed Masthan,23, Ebramsha, 28, both Indian passport holders, who arrived from Dubai were intercepted at exit of the Anna International arrival hall on suspicion that they might have concealed gold on their person. On questioning, they admitted to have concealed gold in their rectum in rubbery form which resulted in the recovery of four gold ingots of 24 karat purity totally weighing 551 grams worth Rs 18 lakh.

In another case on  Friday , a Malaysian passenger Mohamed Hisham, 52, who was bound for Kuala Lumpur was intercepted at the Departure Terminal of Anna International Airport on suspicion that he might be in possession of Foreign/Indian currency/contraband either in his baggage or on his person. Personal search of the passenger resulted in recovery $9100 (equivalent to rs 6.4 lakh)