Customs officials at Kempegowda International Airport, Bengaluru, on Sunday arrested two men from Kozhikode, Kerala, who attempted to smuggle in gold worth an estimated ₹97.4 lakh, concealing it in custom-stitched undergarments.
According to the officials, while one suspect, aged 26, landed from Abu Dhabi on Sunday, the other, aged 24, had landed a few hours earlier. The Customs team conducted passenger profiling of those disembarking from the UAE flight and caught the duo.
In both cases, the sleuths frisked the smugglers to find unusual undergarments. Upon being interrogated, the suspects handed over the pouch with gold paste. The suspect caught on Sunday was attempting to smuggle in 918 grams of gold, estimated to be worth ₹47.3 lakh, while the second person arrested was carrying 966 grams, worth ₹50.08 lakh, sources said. The smugglers were arrested and the gold seized. Further probe is on to find out if they are part of an international smuggling racket.
