Gold capsules recovered from passengers
Eight passengers who used a new modus operandi and tried to smuggle gold at the Chennai airport, by swallowing 161 capsules of gold paste worth ₹1.28 crore, were detained.
They had wrapped these capsules in polythene or rubber covers and tied with a thread, according to a release from Chennai Air Customs.
Arrive from Dubai, Sharjah
The names of the eight passengers were given as Ganakavalli, Nishanthi, Kala Peradeep Kumar, Jayaraj, Jegatheesh, Ghabar Khan, Mohammed Hikkam and Thasleem Fathima.
All of them arrived from Dubai and Sharjah. On suspicion that they might be carrying gold, the officials held them. They found that the passengers had swallowed these capsules before departure.
“They voluntarily requested in writing for taking suitable action under the Customs Act to recover the capsules containing gold paste,” the release said.
Accordingly, they were admitted to Stanley Government Hospital to recover the capsules under expert medical supervision. The process of recovery was cumbersome and they were fed with a heavy diet to facilitate ejection in a natural way,” the release added.
It took eight days
It took eight days to finish this process. Totally, they got 161 capsules, weighing 2.8 kg and worth ₹1.28 crore, from the stomach of the passengers. Eight bundles of 61 capsules were seized.
Separately, they got three gold chains, eight gold bits, eight gold rings, two bundles of gold paste from their handbags and pant pockets. Finally, they got 4.15 kg of gold, worth ₹2.17 crore.
Further investigations are on.
