MANGALURU: Officers of customs at Mangaluru International Airport effected four seizures of gold weighing 824 grams valued over Rs 21.22 lakh recently.
M Subramaniyam, commissioner, department of customs stated in the first detection, gold in the form of thin strips and one gold coin were found concealed in the waist portion and pocket of the denim trousers carried by a passenger.
Another case was detected while rummaging the aircraft when two gold bars were found concealed under the seat cushion. The gold bars were left behind in the aircraft by the passenger who came from Dubai, purportedly to be retrieved by his accomplice on its immediate departure in domestic sector to Mumbai. Both the passengers were apprehended.
The third detection saw customs officials detect two gold bard suitably modified to fit in to the battery slots and concealed inside mobile phones carried by a passenger. The fourth detection of two gold bars were recovered from a woman passenger who had concealed them on her person.
Subramaniyan stated as the smugglers are changing modus operandi as and when the detections are made, customs officers are keeping a strict vigil on such suspicious passengers and their baggage is subjected to detailed examination to thwart any attempt to smuggle gold and prohibited goods. Further investigation is on in to these cases, he added.
