Passenger tries to smuggle gold in mobile phone case, held at Bengaluru airport

An air passenger was held at Kempegowda International Airport for attempting to smuggle 1.5 kg of gold in the form of a mobile phone case.

Based on credible information, officials of the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) took the passenger, a Kasargod native into custody immediately after he landed here from Dubai on June 14 and subjected him to complete screening.

While frisking through his belongings, the officials noticed that the mobile case felt heavier and upon dismantling it they found gold in paste form inside the plastic case.

A TNIE report quoting a source said that the passenger thought the case may escape the regular baggage screening process and had placed his phone in it to make it look convincing.

Reportedly the passenger would have taken a bus to Kerala from Bengaluru where the smuggled gold was supposed to be handed over to a person who would collect it from the former’s house.