Chennai: The customs department at the Chennai airport seized foreign currency and unclaimed gold bars totalling worth Rs 40 lakh in two separate incidents.
A man who was about to leave to Colombo was caught while checking. The officials retrieved 86,500 Saudi Riyals, that is, Rs 15.52 lakh, which were kept hidden in his innerwear. The accused was identified as Sayathu Muhamathu.
A passenger identified as Ajebkhan of Madurai had concealed 13,600 euros equivalent to Rs 10.48 lakh in the hollow handle of his stroller bag, but was caught by the customs personnel.
Yesterday, the officials found four unclaimed gold bars worth Rs 15.12 lakh hidden inside a life jacket kept under one of the passengers’ seats from an Air India flight, which had arrived from Sharjah. The gold were of 24 K purity and weighed 465 grams.