2kg of gold found hidden in aircraft seats, 1 held

2kg of gold found hidden in aircraft seats, 1 held

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Chennai:07.02.2021

Chennai air customs on Friday uncovered a new smuggling modus operandi in which smugglers concealed gold in an aircraft flying on an international route and used a passenger travelling on its domestic leg to retrieve the gold. The customs seized 2.32kg of gold worth ₹1.14 crore and arrested a man in connection.

Based on intelligence that gold was likely to be smuggled from Dubai concealed in an aircraft, customs officials took up special rummaging of a specific flight and five rectangular bundles, wrapped with black adhesive tapes, inside a seat. The bundles were cut open and 10 gold bars of 10 tolas with foreign markings, weighing a total 1.16kg, were recovered. The aircraft then operated on its domestic leg to Guwahati and returned to Chennai.

Mohabath Khan, 56, of Kancheepuram, who travelled from Guwahati to Chennai on the same seat from which the gold was recovered earlier, was intercepted. When he was searched, another 10 gold bars with similar markings and concealed in a similar way were found and seized.

When questioned, he informed sleuths that he had flown from Chennai to Guwahati through another air carrier the same day. He also informed the customs officials that he was supposed to retrieve gold bundles from two seats in the specific aircraft but could find gold only in one. He admitted to his involvement in the crime and was arrested.

Further investigations were on, officials said.