New Delhi: A 24-year-old man from Manipur was arrested by customs officials at the Indira Gandhi International (IGI) Airport for attempting to smuggle gold worth Rs. 72 lakh into India.
The suspect was intercepted upon his arrival from Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, on Friday, according to a statement issued by the customs department on Monday.
During routine checks of the passenger’s person and baggage, officers discovered three oval-shaped capsules containing a yellow chemical paste, which was suspected to be gold.
The capsules, concealed in the suspect’s rectum, weighed a total of 1,063 grams, including the material used for concealment.
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After the contents were extracted, customs officials found a gold bar weighing 951 grams, shaped irregularly, with an estimated value of Rs. 70.37 lakh.
Additionally, two gold biscuits weighing 23 grams, valued at Rs. 1.7 lakh, were found in the passenger’s baggage.
In total, the recovered gold weighed 974 grams and is valued at Rs. 72.07 lakh.
The accused was subsequently arrested for smuggling the precious metal into the country without declaration.
