An attempt to smuggle 2.99 kg of foreign origin gold worth ₹ 1.12 crore was foiled by the Air Intelligence Unit of the Customs Department at the Rajiv Gandhi International Airport on Sunday.
Officials said that the passenger, Shaik Abdul Sajeed, arrived at the RGIA from Sharjah by an IndiGo airlines flight, carrying 26 bars of gold. The gold bars were concealed in a packet and were placed behind the western commode of a washroom adjacent to the immigration point.
“After taking his baggage, Sajeed, a first-time traveller, was trying to come out of the airport, but panicked after seeing the security arrangements and dropped the gold in the washroom,” an investigator said, adding that the passenger was a courier.
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While being quizzed by the officials, Sajeed told them that a person had given him the gold bars at Dubai.
“Sajeed was arrested and investigation is on to nab other people in connection with the case,” said the official.