Two days after two Gurdaspur women were caught smuggling 800-gram gold concealed in their rectum, customs officials nabbed a Mumbai man using the same mode to sneak in 180-gram gold bars worth Rs 5.6 lakh at the Chandigarh airport on Thursday.
According to sources, the 38-year-old passenger arrived at the airport on an IndiGo flight from Dubai.
An official said a gold biscuit, weighing over 180 gm and wrapped in an adhesive tape, was found concealed in his rectum. Customs officials apprehended him as his body language appeared suspicious. He was subsequently frisked and the gold found concealed in the body.
Sources said the man was in pain while taking out the gold bars. He was let off after intense questioning.
The man confessed that he was working for a Dubai-based smuggling network run by Indian nationals. He was to meet someone outside the airport. He was to be paid Rs 3,000 for acting as the courier.
The passenger was not arrested since the value of the gold was less than Rs 20 lakh. The passenger was let off after completing the formalities and the gold was seized, the official said.
This is the third case of gold seizure at the airport this month and comes two days after two women were caught with over 800 gm of gold, worth Rs 25 lakh, in their rectum.
On Holi, a 20-year-old college student from Punjab was held for concealing three gold biscuits, weighing 228 gm, using the same modus operandi.
