BENGALURU: Imported cigarettes and beauty products valued at Rs 3.4 lakh were seized by Customs officials at the Kempegowda International Airport (KIA) from a passenger from Dubai.The 23-old native of Kasargod in Kerala was caught after he alighted from the Air India Express flight (IX 1246) on Wednesday night, said a senior Customs official. “The flyer had concealed 11,800 cigarette sticks of popular brands — ‘Dunhill Switch’ and ‘Benson and Hedges Blue Gold’ — in his check-in baggage,” the official said. They are totally worth Rs 2,36,000.
“It was through passenger profiling and scanning that we caught him,” he added. The passenger had also concealed 120 pieces of Faiza Beauty cream valued at Rs 84,000 and 45 pieces of ‘New Face’ beauty cream valued at Rs 20,250. The total value of all the goods came to Rs 3,40,250, he said.
Smuggling of imported cigarettes and creams from Dubai to KIA have been on the rise the last two months. “An international passenger is permitted to bring a maximum of 100 cigarette sticks. While pieces of creams can be brought in, bringing them in bulk is not permitted,” another official said.
Two, including woman, held for smuggling gold at MIA
Mangaluru: Two international passengers, including a woman, were arrested by customs officials at the Mangalore International Airport (MIA) on Thursday and gold worth more than Rs 53,50,000 was seized from them. The passengers had arrived in an Air India flight from Dubai in the early hours of Thursday.
“The female smuggler, identified as Fathima Kottachery (47) from Kasargod, was carrying 805 gram (net) gold, valued at `38,88,150, in powder form mixed with gum concealed in sanitary napkin. Another passenger, Mohammed Mohideen (50), from Bhatkal, smuggled 303 gram (net) gold, valued at `14,63,490, in his rectum,” a custom official said. Investigation is under progress.