KOCHI: The Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) on Tuesday seized 4.5kg of gold and arrested five persons, who belong to two different smuggling gangs, at the Kochi airport. The gold was concealed by the accused in their baggage and knee guard worn by them.
In the first incident, a person named Muneer Ahamed of Kalikavu, Malappuram, was intercepted by the DRI team with 1kg of gold. He arrived in Air Arabia flight from Jeddah that landed in Kochi on Tuesday morning. The seized gold is valued around `53 lakh.
In the second incident, four Malappuram natives, identified as Suhaib, Anas, Sainul Abid and Shafeeq, were intercepted with 4.3 kg of gold in compound form. On extraction, 3.5kg of 24-carat gold was recovered. Of this, Suhaib, Anas and Sainul arrived on Air Arabia flight from Jeddah and Shafeeq travelled in Air India flight from Dubai. However, they all belong to the same smuggling racket. The extracted gold is valued at Rs 1.85 crore.
The DRI is conducting a massive crackdown in Kochi airport as it is learnt that a huge quantity of gold is being brought undetected by the Customs. Though it is the largest airport in Kerala, the number of gold seizures have been low compared to other airports in the state.