KOCHI: An attempt to outsmart Customs officers and smuggle in gold was foiled at CIAL on Saturday. A Malappuram native was arrested for attempting to smuggle gold by concealing it in the cable of a hairdryer and electric kettle. The Air Customs Intelligence (AIU) unit also arrested a Kozhikode native who concealed gold inside a measuring tape.
In the first incident, the Malappuram native, who arrived on a flight from Jeddah in Saudi Arabia, was intercepted for smuggling 750 grams of gold. “During the baggage checking, the presence of gold was detected. Later, we physically verified the goods inside the baggage. We found a newly purchased electric hairdryer and an electric kettle. After dismantling the gadgets we found the gold was concealed inside the cables. We are still interrogating the arrested person,” an officer said, adding that it is for the first time such a modus operandi was busted in CIAL.
In the second incident, the Kozhikode native who arrived from Bahrain was intercepted with 500 grams of gold, which was camouflaged as a measuring tape with black paint on it. He was also intercepted while his baggage was checked. Smugglers use different techniques to smuggle in gold. Last year, a Malappuram native was caught while attempting to smuggle gold in paste form concealed in a wig. Often, smugglers use electric goods like table fan, iron box and hairdryer for smuggling. “They mould the gold in the shape of certain parts inside these gadgets and attempt to smuggle it,” an officer said.