Customs officials seized four gold biscuits each weighing 100 grams from a Lankan passenger at the Chennai airport on Wednesday. The four gold bars were carefully wrapped in black paper making it impervious to scanning and were stuffed in his underwear, skilfully enough, so as not to betray any uneven bulges.
Salim Mohammed Nausath (45), who arrived in Chennai on a Sri Lankan Airlines flight at 2.45 pm on Wednesday, managed to clear his luggage, but was flagged down by the Customs sleuths on suspicion.
Upon frisking, the passenger was found to be carrying four gold biscuits each weighing 100 grams wrapped in black paper and safely hidden in his briefs.
On interrogation, the officials learnt that the passenger was only a carrier and that he was promised `1,000 for every biscuit that he smuggled into the country.
A case has been registered and a hunt has begun for the gang behind the smuggling racket.
Smuggling gold from the emerald isle to India through Chennai has become something of a weekly affair and Customs sleuths have begun to look with extra-care at any one arriving here from Lanka.