The Customs officials apprehended a person for allegedly trying to smuggle gold at Visakhapatnam International Airport, on Thursday.
The apprehended person was identified as Lathief Veerankunhi, a native Kerala, and the officials confiscated 350 gm of gold valued at ₹10.6 lakh (market value) and imported cigarettes worth ₹16,800.
The accused had travelled to Dubai, where he allegedly purchased the gold and landed in Visakhapatnam on Thursday morning via Colombo by SriLankan Airlines flight UI-159. Based on inputs from Air Intelligence wing of the Customs, the person was intercepted at the Green Channel.
When he was questioned, he stated he was not carrying any dutiable goods. But on search, 14 packets of cigarettes, which was more than the permissible limit, tumbled out.
Not satisfied with the search, the officials continued their operation and in the course realised that the upper cover of the suitcase was harder than the usual one.
On cutting open the cover, black colour adhesive taped metal object sheets were found concealed in layers. On close examination it was revealed that the sheets were gold rolled into paper thin sheets. The Customs recovered about 3 such sheets that weighed around 350 gm.
This is the second seizure in this month. The earlier was on Sunday when Customs, officials detained a Sri Lankan national, Abdul Razak Mohammed Ziyard, at the Green Channel and recovered 18 gold biscuits from him.
The biscuits that weighed about 347 gm with an market value of about ₹10.56 lakh was hidden by the passenger in his rectum and stomach. He also had arrived by the SriLankan Airlines from Colombo.
