Mumbai: On Thursday, the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) arrested a 51-year-old Indian national from Terminal 2 of the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport, for smuggling two gold bars worth Rs11.12 lakh, concealed in his slippers.
The accused, identified as Rahat Ali, had arrived from Bahrain at 7.20am and was caught by the CISF officials while clearing security checkpoints for his flight to Delhi. Ali was arrested and booked under relevant sections of the Customs Act.
According to CISF officials, Ali, a Delhi resident, had flown in from Bahrain to Mumbai, by Go Air flight G8-056 at 4.55am on Thursday.
Ali was to board a Mumbai-Delhi Vistara flight UK-994 at 10.25am on the same day. When Ali was clearing the security checkpoint to board the Delhi-bound flight at 7.20am, the X-ray screening machine indicated presence of heavy metal in the lower part of his body.
Following this, Ali was asked to remove his slippers, which revealed he had concealed two bars of gold, weighing 381 grams, inside the sole of his slippers. A team led by CISF assistant sub-inspector Vivek Malik frisked Ali and detained him for questioning. “Enquiries revealed the gold was worth Rs11.12 lakh and was purchased from Bahrain.
When he could not produce any valid document for the gold bars, he was arrested and booked under relevant sections of the Customs Act for smuggling,” said a senior airport official. Ali was later handed over to Customs and Air Intelligence Unit officials for further questioning.
