KOCHI: Another major gold smuggling attempt at Cochin International Airport Limited (CIAL), Nedumbassery was thwarted by Air Intelligence Unit (AIU) of Customs on Saturday morning. It’s the fifth incident in the last five days in which gold weighing more than a kilo each was brought from abroad.
Officials intercepted a Palakkad Thenkurissi native with 2.5kg of gold in paste form. The accused arrived in a flight from Sharjah at 2.30 am. “The gold was concealed inside underwear and waist portion of jeans he was wearing. The gold was wrapped up in three polythene covers,” an officer said.
Customs officials estimate the seized gold is worth Rs 88 lakhs. He was arrested after an hour-long interrogation. Further investigation into the involvement of other persons has been launched. Since Tuesday, AIU has intercepted carriers transporting gold illegally daily. The fluctuating price triggered smugglers to bring in gold in high quantity in recent days.