Customs officials at the Trichy airport on Tuesday felicitated an airport staff member for his role in recovering six gold bars weighing a total of 600 grams from the lavatory of a flight that arrived from Singapore on May 9. The contraband, valued at Rs 92.5 lakh, was concealed beneath a washbasin in the aircraft's lavatory.
Tip-off Leads to Intensive Search
The airport intelligence unit received a tip about gold being smuggled on the Singapore-Trichy flight. Despite an intensive search of passengers and the aircraft after its arrival, officers initially could not locate the gold bars. The bars were wrapped in black tape to evade detection.
Staff Member Honoured
S Vetrivel, an airport staff member who assisted the customs department in retrieving the gold bars, was felicitated by the commissioner of the customs department, Bharat Prakash. Vetrivel was also awarded a cash prize for his efforts.
The recovery highlights the ongoing efforts by customs officials to curb gold smuggling at Trichy airport. The gold bars were successfully recovered from a hidden spot that had been overlooked during the initial search.
