Mumbai: In separate incidents, five air passengers were booked by the Customs Department’s Air Intelligence Unit (AUI) at the city’s international airport for allegedly smuggling gold and cash worth over ₹1 crore. The seizures were made on the intervening night of Friday and Saturday, AIU officers said. The accused include three Indians, a Turkish national and a woman holding a Kenyan passport.
The first case was registered against Abdul Chelathadathil, a resident of Mallapuram in Kerala, who flew in from Sharjah on Friday night. A search of his person revealed 10 gold bars weighing 1,160 grams and worth ₹35.82 lakh, hidden under his clothes. “During questioning, the accused claimed he had been offered ₹20,000 by a Dubai-based trader to smuggle the gold into Mumbai. He has been arrested,” an AIU officer said.
The other Indian nationals, Ulhasnagar-based real estate broker Haresh Kukreja and daily wage labourer Iliyas Mugu from Kerala, have been booked. “Kukreja was found to be in possession of $1,400 and 95,000 Saudi Riyals, which he had concealed in his shoes. He was on his way to Dubai and was searched before he boarded his flight. Mugu, who had arrived from Dubai, aroused suspicion and was taken aside for a body search. We found five gold bars weighing 580 grams in his rectum. He said during questioning that he had been contracted to smuggle the gold by a Dubai-based businessman,” the officer said.
Turkish national Gokhan Demir, who came in from Istanbul early on Saturday, was arrested after he was found to be in possession of three gold bars weighing one kg each, sewn into his belt. The fifth case was registered against Nayana Shaikh, who was found to be hiding seven gold bangles worth ₹12.10 lakh on her person.
Officers with the AIU said nearly five kg in gold was seized. In all, the gold and cash seized totalled ₹1.77 crore.
