Gold worth Rs 50 lakh seized from passengers at Chennai airport

CHENNAI: Customs officials at Chennai international airport detected four cases of gold smuggling on Thursday and seized 1.4 kg of gold -- worth Rs 50 lakh -- and old and used laptops from carriers.
Ahamed Kabeer,48, of Ramanathapuram, who arrived here from Colombo in a SriLankan Airlines flight, Maharoof,39, of Chennai, Kalandar Bahurudeen,28, of Ramanathapuram and Manoj Dass, 28, of Chennai who arrived from Colombo in a SpiceJet airlines flight were intercepted.
When they were searched, gold in the form of rubbery spread was found concealed in their rectums.
On extraction after heat treatment, 1.365kg of gold of 24 K purity -- worth Rs 48.5 lakh -- was recovered. Two gold cut bits weighing 40 gram of 24 K purity – worth Rs 1.5 lakh -- along with 20 old and used laptops -- worth Rs 1 lakh -- were found concealed in checked in baggage of Ahamed Kabeer.