Gold worth Rs 22 lakh seized from two senior citizen passengers at Chennai airport

CHENNAI: Customs officials at Chennai international airport on Thursday seized gold worth Rs 22 lakh from two senior citizens who arrived here from Dubai and Colombo.
Officials intercepted Mahalingam, 61, of Thanjavur, who arrived here from Dubai in an IndiGo flight. They checked his baggage and found four spoon stands made of steel and wood, and four old-fashioned steel razors.
As many as 112 gold wires were found concealed inside the hollow steel pipes of the spoon holders. One gold rod each was found concealed in the hollow steel handles of four razors. Thus total gold weighing 390 gram of 24 k purity – worth Rs. 12.81 lakh -- was recovered.
The officials intercepted Sri Lankan national Elangeswaran,60, who arrived here from Colombo in an IndiGo flight. As he appeared nervous, they searched him and found 17 small cut bits of gold concealed in his rectum. The gold weighed 283 gram, worth Rs 9.30 lakh.