Customs sleuths at Cochin International Airport Limited on Monday seized gold worth ₹58 lakh from a passenger who landed here from Dubai.
The passenger, identified as Shihabudeen Ainikunnath Usman of Thrissur, was apprehended by the sleuths while attempting to exit through the green channel. While examining his baggage, officials recovered two gold bars weighing one kilogram each from his possession.
The metal bars had been cleverly concealed inside two iron-plates, welded together and attached to the inside back wall of a brand new three-burner gas stove. After detailed examination of the baggage, the officers cut opened the extra panel of the gas stove with the help of a technician and found the gold bars.
On recovery of the gold, the passenger was arrested under the provisions of the Customs Act, 1962.
According to the officials, the concealing of gold bars pointed to the involvement of a racket specialised in the conversion of the metal into different forms or concealing it inside home appliances. “Smugglers have an arrangement with such rackets wherein the latter conceals any quantity of gold inside electronic gadgets or other equipment and make them fit enough to be transported without being detected at airports,” they said.
