Chennai: Officials of the Air Customs have seized 1.45 kg gold valued at Rs 78.4 lakh from a passenger’s personal goods which had arrived at the Unaccompanied Baggage Terminal from Dubai and arrested the passenger.
Commissioner of Customs, Airport, Rajan Chaudhary, in a release said a passenger, who had arrived from Dubai earlier came for clearance of his personal household goods which had arrived by IndiGo Airlines Flight as unaccompanied baggage.
Acting on a tip off, the officials opened the baggage and found carton boxes, bedspreads and toy boxes among other items in it.
The bedspread was wrapped around a cardboard sheet, which appeared to be unusually heavy.
On tearing the cardboard sheet gold foil wrapped in carbon paper was found concealed in between the two layers of cardboard sheet.
Similarly cardboard sheets were found in all toy boxes as well in which also gold foils wrapped in carbon paper were found concealed inside two cardboard sheets.
In all three bed spreads and seven toy boxes were seized from four carton boxes and a total of 10 gold foils weighing 1.45 kg valued at Rs.78.4 lakhs were seized under Customs Act, 1962.
The passenger belonging to Kallakurichi in Tamilnadu was working as an electrician in Dubai and had lost his job because of Covid-19. He had returned recently. He was arrested. Further investigation is in progress.