In a dramatic early morning bust, the Air Intelligence Unit of Chennai Customs intercepted a significant gold smuggling attempt at the city's international airport. Acting on precise intelligence inputs, officials seized 700 grams of 24-karat gold, valued at approximately ₹1 crore, from a passenger who had just arrived from Dubai.
Specific Intel Leads to Early Morning Interception
The operation unfolded in the early hours of Thursday. Customs sleuths, who had been alerted about a potential smuggling attempt, identified and stopped the passenger for a thorough check. Despite being questioned, the individual firmly denied carrying any goods that were liable for duty or were prohibited.
The Unusual Concealment: Gold in Paste Form
Undeterred by the passenger's denial, officials conducted a detailed personal examination. Their search led to the discovery of a suspicious black, rubbery substance cleverly hidden within the flyer's undergarments. The contraband was shaped into a ball.
Upon closer inspection and extraction, the rubbery material was revealed to be gold in paste form. After processing this paste, officials confirmed it yielded the high-purity 24-karat gold, with the total weight reaching 700 grams.
A Persistent Battle Against Smuggling
This seizure highlights the continuous and vigilant efforts of the Chennai Customs department to curb the smuggling of precious metals through air routes. The use of innovative concealment methods, like converting gold into a paste and molding it into innocuous-looking objects, is a common tactic employed by smugglers to evade detection by scanners and manual checks.
The successful operation, driven by specific intelligence, underscores the effectiveness of the surveillance network at major Indian airports. The passenger has been detained, and further investigation is underway to uncover potential links to larger smuggling networks.
