The Customs officers here on Monday caught a passenger at Mangalore International Airport while trying to smuggle gold bars.
During the checking of the Jet Airways flight which had arrived from Dubai and was about to leave for Mumbai, the Customs officers grew suspicious about Yousuf Kapalan, a native of Kasaragod, who was trying to take a particular seat. On checking that seat, the officials found gold bars weighing 1kg. Kapalan told the Customs officials that the bars belonged to a passenger who arrived from Dubai. Officials said Kapalan was part of a bigger racket involved in smuggling of gold.
The Customs officials have booked Kapalan under the Customs Act and are looking for the passenger who left the airport.
On Sunday the Customs officials arrested S. Mohammed, from Mangalore, at the airport upon arrival from Dammam for trying to smuggle in two gold ingots of 236 grams that had been concealed in a burqa.
Search for bodies on
Search teams have continued their operations on Monday in the Phalguni (popularly called Gurupura river) at Padukodi near Bangra Kulur, where three children and two teenagers drowned on Sunday. The bodies of Yakshit, Prajwal, Kalandhar and Rajesh were found by Sunday evening.
Of the five, three — Yakshit, Prajwal and Rakshit all aged14 — were studying in Ganapathi High School. The remaining two victims — Kalandhar and Rajesh — were aged 17. Rakshit’s body is yet to be traced.
Three KV girls missing
Three class 6 students from Kendriya Vidyalaya in Panambur are reported to be missing since Monday evening. Police said Varshini from Kavoor, Rakshita from Kodikal and Vishrupa from NMPT colony did not return home from school. Their parents filed complaints. The children, who usually returned by school van, did not board the vehicle,
