Smuggled gold worth Rs 17.73 lakh seized at Mangaluru airport

Mangaluru: Customs officials at the Mangaluru International Airport (MIA) have seized 286 gm of gold worth Rs 17.73 lakh from a passenger who arrived here from Dubai.

The passenger arrived here on December 14 by IndiGo flight 6E1163. He was detained based on advance passenger information system (APIS) data and profiling conducted by the officials, a Customs release said here on Sunday.

Upon closer inspection and scanning of the passenger’s trousers, a dark image raised suspicions. A subsequent thorough examination revealed a concealed yellow-collared paste material within the layers of the trousers.

Through a meticulous extraction process, the officials successfully recovered 286 gm of 24-carat pure gold (net weight) with an estimated value of Rs. 17,73,200, the release said.