SURAT: A couple arriving from Dubai was apprehended at Surat airport on July 20 for allegedly smuggling over 20 kg of gold concealed in paste form under their clothes, officials said.
The incident occurred around 10 pm when a plainclothes officer from the Central Industrial Security Force’s (CISF) intelligence unit noticed the duo behaving suspiciously after deboarding an Air India flight.
“Their unnatural gait and visible bulges around the abdomen raised suspicion,” a senior CISF official said. The officer alerted Customs personnel, who subsequently intercepted the couple—both Gujarat residents—and carried out a thorough physical check.
The man was dressed in a shirt and trousers, while the woman wore a salwar suit. Officials discovered 28 kg of gold paste strapped around their midsections and upper torsos—16 kg on the woman and 12 kg on the man. Based on concentration levels, officials estimate the net gold content to exceed 20 kg.
"This is possibly the biggest gold seizure in the history of Surat airport," said an official involved in the investigation.
The operation, officials noted, underscored the effectiveness of behavioural profiling and the seamless coordination between CISF and Customs.