Mumbai: Gold dust worth ₹1.12 crore was allegedly recovered from the rectums of two passengers who landed at the Mumbai airport from Saudi Arabia on Sunday, said the Air Intelligence Unit (AIU) of the Mumbai Customs. Two others – who are said to be recipients of the contraband – were arrested subsequently. All of them hail from Rajasthan. Notably, the accused, including two drivers and a mason, attempted smuggling of the precious metal in return of paltry sums.
Acting on specific intelligence, the AIU officers intercepted Lal Singh and Ratan Khan when they arrived at the airport. Their frisking led to the recovery of seven pieces of gold dust in wax form, which were concealed in their rectum. Further, the consignment receivers, Gulam Shabir and Mustfa Raza, were also intercepted, said an AIU official, adding that the accused have confessed to gold smuggling.
Singh admitted that the seized gold did not belong to him and he carried four pieces of gold in lieu of ₹20,000 while Khan conceded that he smuggled three pieces of gold in return of ₹15,000, added the official. The quartet has been placed under arrest.
“As the investigation in this case is at the preliminary stage, the nexus is yet to be revealed by the accused. We are probing who had provided them gold and who were the final recipients of the consignment,” said the official.
