CHENNAI : Customs officials foiled bids to smuggle in 3.5 kg gold worth Rs 1.15 crore in separate incidents at Chennai Airport. On Thursday morning, Irsath, 24, of Ramanathapuram; and Mohamed Sirajudeen, 29, of Chennai, who arrived from Colombo by Sri Lankan Airlines flight and Spicejet Airlines respectively; and Muzammil Riswan, 30, of Chennai, who arrived from Dubai by an Indigo Airlines flight, were intercepted at the exit of arrival hall. On a search, a rubbery spread which was kept concealed in their rectums was recovered. On extraction, gold weighing 909 grams worth Rs 30 lakh was recovered.
Similarly on Wednesday, working on specific intelligence, a female Ethiopian national, Muhubo Aden Muhamed, 56, who had arrived from Nairobi via Sharjah by Air Arabia flight, was intercepted at exit of arrival hall on suspicion of carrying gold.
Finding her nervous and evasive in replies, a personal search was carried out, resulting in recovery of a yellow coloured metallic powder, kept concealed in her undergarments. On extraction, 1.26 kg gold worth Rs 39.15 lakh was recovered. She was later arrested. Her travel documents revealed that she had come to India many times earlier and had landed at Mumbai and Delhi airports.
In a separate case, Sahabar Sadiq Ali, 48, of Nambuthalai; and Iburahimsha, 44, of R Puthuppattinam, who had arrived from Colombo by SriLankan Airlines flight, were intercepted at exit. On search, they were found to carry gold in form of a rubbery spread kept concealed in their rectum. On extraction, 483 grams worth Rs 16 lakh was recovered.
Similarly, gold weighing 880 grams worth Rs 29 lakh was recovered from Mohamed Sulthan, 43, of Madurai, Sulaiman, 23, Sheik Abdullah, 22, and Ajmal Khan,33, all belonging to Ramanathapuram, who had arrived from Colombo by Air India.