CHENNAI: Sleuths of Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) and Chennai Customs intercepted 25 passengers at the Chennai international airport who arrived from Singapore on Sunday night and seized 19.5 kg gold worth Rs 15 crore.
The seizures were effected based on specific intelligence. The passengers had landed on flights from Scoot Airlines (TR 578), Air India (IX 687) and Indigo (6E-1004) and all are believed to be from the same gang, sources said. All the 25 passengers were arrested.
The recovered gold was in the form of crude 24 carat gold chains (totally 42) which were placed in plastic packages concealed mainly in the underwear of the carriers, sources said. The quantity carried by the passengers ranged from 600 gm to 1.2 kg with most of them having chains weighing around 800 gm.
DRI sources said in normal course of action, the gold should have been detected by the metal frame detectors used by Customs, but this did not happen. During interrogation, all of them gave identical answers that they had been given a parcel at the Singapore airport by unknown persons and were paid to carry it to Chennai.