CHENNAI: The Chennai Air Customs foiled a bid to smuggle gold, cigarettes and drones worth Rs 47.8 lakh, and arrested one person. Karuppasamy (65) and Sasikumar (31), both from Chennai, who arrived from Dubai were intercepted at the exit.
On examination of their check-in bags, four drones, 10 batteries valued at Rs 4.17 lakh and 100 cartons of Benson and Hedges cigarettes, valued at Rs 2 lakh, were seized, a release said. In another case, Sathakkathulla Mohamed Ismail (52), of Ramanathapuram, was intercepted at the exit.
A strip of gold paste weighing 150 gm was recovered from his underwear, which, on extraction, yielded 130 gm of gold. Two chains weighing 84 gm were recovered from his pant pocket. A total of 214 gm of gold, worth Rs 11 lakh, was recovered and seized.
Separately, Puviarasan (25), of Mannargudi, who arrived from Dubai, was also intercepted at the exit. On searching, three bundles of gold paste were recovered, which on extraction yielded 593 gm of gold valued at Rs 30.63 lakh. It was recovered and seized. He was arrested, the release added.