CHENNAI: Customs officials have foiled bids to smuggle in gold, old laptops and cigarettes worth Rs 35.2 lakh at the airport here. Mohamed Asmathullah Khan, 30, of Ramanathapuram, who arrived from Dubai via Bahrain by a Gulf Air flight on Friday, was interrogated at the exit and admitted to having concealed gold in the form of rubbery spread in his rectum.
On extraction, gold weighing 276 grams worth Rs 10 lakh was recovered. On examination of his luggage, 10 used old laptops along with 10 cartons of Gudang Garam cigarettes worth Rs 73,000 were also recovered.
In a different case, 20 camera lenses of Canon make and 20 Apple airpods worth Rs 6 lakh and a 58-gram gold cut bit worth Rs 2 lakh were recovered from Sunil Hariram of Ulashnagar (Maharashra), who had arrived from Singapore by an Air India Express Airline flight.
In another incident, Mahariba Beevi (50) of Pudukkottai, who had arrived from Colombo by an Indigo Airlines flight, was found to have concealed four bundles of gold in rubbery form in her rectum.
On extraction, gold weighing 458 grams valued at Rs 16.5 lakh was recovered.
10cartons of Gudang Garam cigarettes worth Rs 73,000 were recovered from the luggage of one Mohamed Asmathullah Khan