CHENNAI: When cops posted at the Chennai international airport stopped two men bashing each other up outside the arrival area on Wednesday evening, they had no idea that they had actually caught a gold carrier and receiver.
Police said that one of them, Govindaraju (23), native of Cuddalore district, had arrived from Singapore. He had been employed as a gold carrier by a smuggling gang. When he got out of the airport, receiver Khaleel Rahman (32) from Chennai approached him and asked him to deposit 700g gold (worth around Rs 50 lakh) that he had smuggled out.
According to police sources, Govindaraju said he had already given the gold to some other receiver and demanded his commission of Rs 10,000. This enraged Khaleel, as he felt that Govindaraju was lying and wanted to pocket the gold.
A heated argument turned into a full-blown brawl which created a scene, sources said. After preliminary questioning, police handed over the duo to Chennai Customs as it was a case of gold smuggling.
Police sources said that Govindaraju had concealed the gold inside a special pocket inside his clothing and was trying to keep it for himself, without handing it over to the receiver. Both Khaleel and Govindaraju have been arrested and are under investigation. Sources said the gold has been seized by customs.