MUMBAI: Customs officials of Mumbai airport arrested a woman from the district, who arrived from Dubai, for smuggling in 3.5 kg gold. The middle-aged woman involved with this act has been identified as Fathimath Rubeena.
The customs officials said that the woman had concealed 30 gold bars weighing 3.495 kg packed in plastic containers, inside her inner wear. The officials of customs intelligence got suspicious about her after observing the way she was walking. They therefore subjected her to detailed check, and found that she was smuggling gold. The value of gold found on her person has been estimated at Rs 84 lac at the present market rate.
Rubeena, the officials found, had travelled to the Gulf a number of times.They guess that she happens to be a professional smuggler, and that she would have opted to come through Mumbai airport this time, and then reach her place through train, in view of tightened checking in Kerala airports.
Rubeena was released on bail after she provided security deposit of Rs 1.5 lac and bond for equal amount. An official of customs at Mumbai said that there has been a marked increase in the number of people from Kasargod and Bhatkal getting caught while smuggling gold into the country from the Gulf region of late. He added that in one case, an entire family including women and children, was found to have been involved with gold smuggling and got caught.
