KOCHI: A bid to smuggle gold worth nearly Rs 2 crore through Cochin International Airport was foiled after Customs officials arrested a couple from Tamil Nadu and seized gold paste concealed in the waistbands of their trousers, officials said on Tuesday.
The accused were identified as Rifnas Hamed Mohammed Sharif (26) and his wife, Janofer Kadar Beevi Umar Farook (23), natives of Pudukottai district in Tamil Nadu. They had arrived at the airport on Air India Express flight IX 418 from Abu Dhabi on July 13.
According to Customs, the couple was intercepted based on suspicion and subjected to a detailed examination. Gold paste containing 1,353.92 grams of 24-carat gold, valued at about Rs 1.94 crore, was recovered after extraction. The contraband had been concealed inside the stitched waistbands of the trousers worn by the passengers.
Both passengers were arrested under the provisions of the Customs Act. Further investigation is under way.