The Mumbai Airport Customs recently seized around 3.7 kilogram of gold in paste form valued at ₹1.98 crore from six foreign nationals arriving from Male. The agency sources on Sunday said that the gold was found to be concealed in the body cavity of the passengers.
According to the Customs officials, based on profiling of the accused after they arrived at the international airport, it was learnt that some objects were inside their bodies. Their examination revealed that they had smuggled gold inside their body cavities.
The Customs is now probing if all the six passengers are connected from the same gold smuggling cartel, who handed over the gold to them and who were supposed to receive the said consignment.
"In most cases we have observed that the passengers act as carriers or mules for indulging in smuggling. They are promised either free foreign trips or money by the smugglers," said an agency source.
On May 18, the Airport Customs had arrested a 39-year-old man from Bihar at the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport for allegedly smuggling 4.265 kilograms of gold worth Rs 2.28 crore from Dubai.
While searching the passenger, nine packets of gold dust in wax form were found hidden inside his underwear, in stitched pockets in the jeans, and under his kneecap.
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