Air Customs sleuths at the international airport in Lohegaon arrested a person on the intervening night of Friday and Saturday with gold ornaments worth Rs 63 lakh in his possession.
Air Customs sleuths at the international airport in Lohegaon arrested a person on the intervening night of Friday and Saturday with gold ornaments worth Rs 63 lakh in his possession.
According to sources in the Customs, this was the fifth arrest in recent times and indicated a trend in the smuggling of the yellow metal into India when Diwali is round the corner.
Before this, four people were arrested in June at Chennai airport with 15 kg of gold worth Rs 2.68 crore.
According to sources, Air Customs officers received intelligence about contraband being transported to the city via Air India Express.
Acting on the tip-off, they intercepted 42-year-old Badrul Muneer Ambidatti, a resident of Kannur in Kerala, as he was passing through the green channel.
After inspecting his bag, the officers conducted a search of Ambidatti's person and recovered gold ornaments weighing 2.521 kg that were concealed inside leg bands worn on the shins, just over the socks.
Sources said that chains, rings and bracelets were hidden in the leg band. The arrested Ambidatti was on Saturday afternoon produced in the holiday court of JMFC A S Deshmukh.
Customs Consul Krishna Pardeshi argued before the court that the investigative agency needs to find out the mastermind behind the smuggling activity and asked for Ambidatti's passport to be taken from him.
The court accepted the investigative agency's plea and remanded the suspect in magisterial custody till October 28.
Rs 63 lakh Worth of gold ornaments weighing 2.521 kg that were found strapped to legs of arrested person
ADVERTISEMENT
Subscribe today by clicking the link and stay updated with the latest news!" Click here!
