Gold worth Rs 9.4L seized at airport

Mangaluru: Air customs officers at Mangaluru International Airport (MIA), late on Wednesday, caught Mohammed Mahir Patla Majeed of Patla, Kasaragod, who was attempting to smuggle gold. Mohammed, 24, who arrived from Dubai by Air India flight IX 384, attempted to smuggle 233.2g of gold in strip form worth Rs 9.4 lakh, concealed inside a rechargeable emergency light and solar sensor wall light.
Imaging system used
The officers led by Rajesh Poojari, assistant commissioner, superintendents Sreenath H V, Anup Kumar, Sinmay Pradhan, and inspector Vinod Kumar, based on profiling, zeroed in on the passenger and detected the concealed gold strips with the help of an imaging system. The officers seized the smuggled gold under the Customs Act, 1962, and an investigation is under way, said customs joint commissioner Joannes George.