CHENNAI: Wearing too many layers of clothes can invite suspicion, especially if contraband is concealed underneath. A 21-year-old from Royapettah attempted to do just that and was nabbed by customs sleuths at the city airport on Wednesday.
According to sources, customs and immigration had allowed the accused, Prabhakar, to pass through, after his arrival from Singapore on a Tiger Airways flight. However, the fact that he was wearing at least four layers of clothing, two t-shirts, a shirt, a jacket and innerwear, raised suspicion among the Air Intelligence Unit.
The sleuths were quick enough to bring him for checking and he reluctantly subjected to a body search. “He had 42 gold bars, each weighing 100 grams. These were pasted on his body with an adhesive around his waist and torso. To avoid detection, he had worn a lot of extra clothes,” said an official.
Though this method is not considered to be as painful as carting gold in the rectum, it did cause some pain to remove the gold biscuits off his body as the adhesive was quite strong. The 4.2 kg of gold was impounded and he was arrested. The contraband was valued at `1.85 crore in the Indian market. Gold in Singapore is currently sold at `2,180 for a gram (24 carat), which is still considerably cheaper than `2,685, the retail price in South India.
Meanwhile, in Tiruchy, sleuths of Air Intelligent Unit (AIU) seized 420 gm gold bars worth `12 lakh from two air passengers at the international airport.
According to the officials, air customs officials seized the gold from Hakeem Ahamed of Thirupathur in Sivagangai dist who arrived from Singapore by Tiger Airlines flight on Wednesday. He concealed the gold in his shoes.