Kochi: Customs sleuths Sunday foiled a bid to smuggle gold worth lakhs of rupees and arrested two passengers at the Kozhikode International airport. Acting on a tip-off, Customs officials seized gold totally weighing a little over two kg from the two Keralites, who arrived from Dubai on different flights, Customs Commissioner Sumit Kumar said. The two were allegedly part of separate smuggling rackets, were being interrogated, he said.

In the first case, the man who arrived by an Air India Express flight had concealed nearly 900 gm gold in his rectum. The passenger, who arrived by an Indigo flight, was allegedly carrying 1.33 kg gold in paste form in his waist band and floppy chappal, Kumar said. The men, hailing from Kozhikode and Kasargod districts, were allegedly recruited by separate smuggling syndicates, he said adding follow-up searches will be carried out to nab the kingpins.