29 January,2023 08:41 AM IST | Mumbai | mid-day online correspondent
Representative Image. Pic/iStock
The Mumbai Airport Customs has seized 9.5 kilograms of gold valued at Rs 4.75 crore in eight cases in the last two days, an official told news agency PTI on Saturday.
The accused include two Azerbaijan nationals who arrived from Dubai allegedly with 6 kilograms of gold worth Rs 2.99 crore concealed in a bag, he said.
Meanwhile, eleven foreign nationals were held on January 27 at Mumbai Airport allegedly with 8.3 kilograms of gold worth Rs 4.14 crore, a customs official told PTI.
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The passengers had arrived from Sharjah in the early hours of the day and were held on the basis of specific intelligence, he added.
"They had concealed gold in wax form in their body cavities," he said.
In another incident, the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) on January 17 seized 8.230 kg gold in paste form worth Rs 4.54 crore after arresting two passengers at the Mumbai international airport.
Also Read: Mumbai: DRI seizes smuggled gold worth Rs 21 cr, unaccounted cash at air cargo complex
An official told PTI that most of the recovered gold was concealed in the undergarments of the passengers making it extremely difficult to detect.
The DRI had specific information that gold in paste form was being smuggled into India by a syndicate of passengers who are travelling from Dubai to Mumbai, he said.
Accordingly, the suspected passengers were identified and intercepted by the team of DRI officers at the Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport.
Their search led to the recovery of 8.230 kg of gold in paste form. The value of the gold is estimated to be Rs 4.54 crore, the official said.
"Most of the recovered gold was concealed in the undergarments of the passengers making it extremely difficult to detect. This is a unique modus operandi busted by the DRI," he added.
The two passengers have been arrested and further investigation is on to unravel the complete chain of persons involved in the illegal inflow of gold into the country, the official said.
(With inputs from PTI)
