CHENNAI: Chennai Customs officials on Tuesday foiled attempts to smuggle gold from the Chennai International Airport and seized gold, weighing three kg and worth `98 lakh, from four different passengers.
According to the officials, Masthan Khan, 53, of Kadappa, who arrived from Kuwait via Goa by Air India flight AI-976, was intercepted on suspicion at the exit of the Anna International Airport arrival hall.
A search on him led to the seizure of five gold cut bits, five crude gold kadas and assorted jewellery weighing 1.7 kg and worth Rs 55 lakh.
On inquiry, Khan claimed that he had retrieved the gold from the tissue paper compartment in the rear toilet of the flight.
Later, he was arrested.In three other cases, three passengers - Mohammad Fazizd, 26, of Chennai, Sheikh Hussain Ashraf Ali, 33, of Tiruchy, and Ismail Sheikh Dawood, 22, of Sivaganga, who had arrived from Kuala Lumpur by Air Asia flight, were intercepted on suspicion.
They were found carrying gold strips weighing 1.25 kg in 11 ceiling fans. The gold was found concealed inside fan motors and hollow rods. During a further search on them, 30 grams of gold bits were recovered from each of them.
The officials said they had recovered a total of 1.34 kg gold worth `43.32 lakh from the three passengers.
Gang decamps with Rs 2L from Tasmac outlet
CHENNAI: An unidentified gang decamped with around `two lakh looted from a Tasmac outlet in Jafferkhanpet on Monday night. The incident came to light on Tuesday morning when Madan Mohan, a staffer at the shop, found the money missing.
He immediately informed the police who rushed to the spot and took imprints of scene. The MGR Nagar police have registered a case.