VIDEO: Six arrested in Indian airport for smuggling 5.5kg gold in their wigs
A customs official shows gold hidden inside a wig.
Gulf Today Report
Chennai Airport Customs arrested 6 people for smuggling gold and foreign currency notes in their wigs.
Chennai Customs said, “5.55 kg gold worth Rs 2.53 crore and foreign currency worth Rs24 lakhs seized from passengers arriving from and departing to Gulf under Customs Act & Foreign Exchange Management Act (FEMA). Gold concealed in wigs, socks, innerwear, rectum & aircraft. Six Arrested.”
Two passengers, Magroob Akbarali (39), a resident of Ramanthapuram and Zubair Hassan Rafiyutheen (26), a resident of Chennai, were stopped after their hairstyles looked suspicious.
When searched by officials, 2 gold paste packets were found in the hair wigs, which weighed 698 grammes.
It is believed that the people were travelling from a Gulf country.
Earlier on Saturday, a person named Anbazhagan was also intercepted and arrested at the exit of the airport. He had four packets of gold paste, which weighed 1.5 kg.
It had 1.33 kg of gold, which was valued at Rs62 lakhs.
A gold dealer named Thamin Ansari from Chennai has also been arrested as he approached Anbazhagan to smuggle the gold.
Apart from this, 10 tola gold bars were recovered from Indigo Flight 6E66 in a separate case, which was hidden in the aircraft seat in a hollow pipe. Its total weight was 933 grammes and the price was Rs43 lakhs 30 thousand.
On Friday, Syed Ahmadullah from Ramanthapuram, Santosh Selvam from Salem and Abdullah from Chennai were also arrested on charges of gold smuggling.
Their hairstyles also looked suspicious, after investigation, 3 gold paste packets were recovered from their wigs. Their weight was 2.410 kg.
It had a total of 2.08kg of gold, which was priced at Rs96.57 lakhs.
Four more people have been arrested with foreign currency worth 24 lakh rupees. The suspects had landed from another Gulf flight.
Thus, under the Customs Act and FEMA Regulations 2015, Chennai Customs recovered a total of 5.55 kg of gold worth Rs2.53 crore and foreign currency worth Rs24 lakhs and arrested 6 people.
