Customs Department arrests 10 Sri Lankans at Bengaluru airport for smuggling gold

The Customs Department has arrested two Sri Lankan men and eight women at the airport here for smuggling gold hidden in their bodies, officials said on Monday.

Based on a tip-off, the Customs officers made the arrests on Saturday evening.

The accused travelled from the Bandaranaike International Airport located in the outskirts of Colombo onboard SriLankan Airlines Flight UL 171 along with 140 other passengers.

They had concealed the liquid gold in their rectum and was supposed to be given to handlers in Bengaluru.

The group was stopped by the Air Intelligence Unit (AIU) of the Bengaluru Customs Department while they were on their way to the immigration bay.

After thorough examination, the officers found that the 10 accused had hidden the gold in paste form which is worth over Rs 1 crore in their bodies.

The sleuths are conducting further investigations to identify the Bengaluru handlers.

The accused will be further interrogated to ascertain the source and nab the whole gold smuggling gang.

Further investigations are underway.