Rs 26-lakh gold seized from two Bangkok nationals

Tribune News Service

Mohali, March 19

In another gold seizure at the airport, customs officials on Monday intercepted two foreign nationals, a man (59) and a woman (63), and recovered 877 grams of gold, valued at Rs 26.61 lakh, from them. This is the first case of gold seizure from foreign nationals at the airport.

Sources said the passengers, residents of Bangkok, arrived from Bangkok on Air India flight AI337 at 8.50 am and were intercepted while they were crossing the green channel.

An official said initially both denied carrying any restricted or contraband item.

However, in the X-ray, some dotted images of metallic presence were spotted, following which their baggage was checked.

In the baggage, 192 nickel-coated ringlets weighing 455 grams worth Rs 13.84 lakh were recovered from the woman passenger, concealed in tich buttons of eight shirts. The male passenger was wearing a gold chain, a bracelet (kada) and a gold belt buckle, weighing 422 grams, valued at Rs 12.77 lakh.

Officials said the two passengers were not arrested because the worth of seized metal was below Rs 40 lakh.

This is the fifth gold smuggling attempt foiled by customs officials at the airport this month. Though maximum number of cases are ‘carriers’ from Dubai, the officials said Chandigarh-Bangkok route was now emerging as an alternate option, with fourth case of seizure reported since December 2017, when the flight to the popular tourist destination was started.

Recent cases

• March 15: A Delhi-based man held for concealing 38 grams of gold, worth Rs 1.19 lakh, in his rectum.
• March 8: A Maharashtra-based man held for carrying 180 grams of gold in rectum, reportedly worth Rs 5.6 lakh.
• March 6: Two women caught with over 800 grams of gold worth Rs 25 lakh, concealed in their rectum in gold biscuits. 
• March 2: A 20-year-old college student from Punjab held for concealing three gold biscuits, weighing 228 grams.