Smuggled gold rods seized in Tiruchi

November 24, 2014 12:20 pm | Updated 12:20 pm IST - TIRUCHI:

Seizure of Gold at Airport by Customs.

Seizure of Gold at Airport by Customs.

Officers of the Customs Air Intelligence Unit seized smuggled gold rods weighing 2.46 kg worth Rs.66.02 lakh from four air passengers at the international airport here on Saturday night.

The four passengers, H.Ibrahim Shah, Mahboob Ali, Naseeruddin and I.Sabar Lal, from whom the gold rods were confiscated, were detained for questioning..

Airport sources said the four passengers arrived in Tiruchi from Kuala Lumpur by an Air Asia flight in the late hours on Saturday. The printers brought by the four were scanned thoroughly upon arrival.

Since the officials grew suspicious over the printers, they went for a deeper analysis, particularly in the cartridge part.

During checks, the officials unearthed the gold rods concealed in the toner cartridge of the printers.

Of late, smugglers have started adopting a new modus operandi wherein powder in the printer cartridge is being removed to create a cavity inside the cylindrical shaped cartridge.

Gold is then made into lengthy cylindrical rods and inserted inside the cavity of the cartridge.

The cartridge lid is then closed to conceal the gold rods and eliminate suspicion.

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