NEW DELHI: Indian customs has arrested two persons for allegedly trying to smuggle about three kilograms of gold, worth Rs 86.43 lakh, by hiding the yellow metal under a seat of a plane which landed at Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport here from Dubai.
“Air Intelligence Unit (AIU) of Customs seized 3,233.60 grams of gold, valued Rs 86.43 lakh, in the form of bars. The gold was hidden under a seat in SpiceJet flight which arrived here from Dubai last night,” said a customs official.
Parvez Alam and Mohammed Yunios Rafeeq Ahmad were arrested and were likely to be produced before the court tomorrow, said the official.
The gold was concealed in the aircraft as it took off from Dubai. The same aircraft was to fly, as a domestic flight, fromAhmedabad to Chennai as flight number SG-501 today.
The duo boarded the flight here and collected the hidden gold. However, the aircraft crew suspected that something was amiss and alerted the customs.
Recently, in a similar case, Customs had recovered around three kg of gold hidden under a seat in another SpiceJet flight here at the city airport, officials said.