Diamonds in noodles, gold in underclothes: Seizures worth crores at Mumbai airport
Ten Indian nationals were found to be carrying 6.199 kg of gold “concealed in the rectum, on body, and inside the baggage,” the Customs department said
The Customs department has seized diamonds and gold, collectively worth Rs 6.46 lakh, and arrested four passengers at Mumbai airport over the weekend. While the diamonds were being smuggled inside packets of noodles, the gold was concealed in undergarments and body parts of the accused passengers.
In a Press release issued late on Monday (April 22) night, the Customs department said an Indian national travelling from Mumbai to Bangkok was caught smuggling diamonds worth Rs 2.02 crore concealed in packets of noodles inside his trolley bag. The passenger was later arrested.
Gold seized
On the other hand, a foreign national travelling from Colombo to Mumbai was found to be carrying gold bars and a cut piece, with a net weight of 321 grams, concealed inside her undergarments, said a Customs official.
Ten Indian nationals were also found to be carrying 6.199 kg of gold, valued at Rs 4.04 crore, “concealed in the rectum, on body, and inside the baggage,” the release said without providing further details.
3 held for smuggling gold
Of these 10 passengers, two were travelling from Dubai and as many from Abu Dhabi, and one each from Bahrain, Doha, Riyadh, Muscat, Bangkok, and Singapore.
Three of them were subsequently arrested, said the release. The total gold seizure amounted to more than 6.815 kg, valued at Rs 4.44 crore.
(With agency inputs)