Customs officials at Cochin International Airport seized 466.5 grams of gold concealed within a passenger’s shoes. The passenger arrived from Doha via Dubai and was intercepted at the airport’s exit gate. The gold, worth over ₹ 30 lakhs, was discovered hidden within the soles of his shoes. This incident follows a similar gold smuggling case at Hyderabad’s Rajiv Gandhi International Airport where 1,390.85 grams of gold were seized from a passenger arriving from Dubai.
Customs officials intercepted a passenger from Jaipur, Rajasthan, who arrived from Doha, Qatar, on Tuesday. Upon inspection, they discovered a hidden cache containing one kilogram of cocaine, with an estimated street value of Rs 10 crore. The substance was confirmed to be cocaine through chemical analysis. The passenger, Bharat Vasita, was detained for questioning and later remanded in judicial custody. Preliminary investigations suggest the drugs were sourced from Africa and were intended for distribution in Delhi. The investigation is ongoing to determine the possible involvement of an international drug racket.
Indian customs officials seized diamonds concealed in noodle packets and gold hidden in passengers’ body parts and luggage at the Mumbai airport, with the total value of the seized goods estimated at ₹6.46 crore. An Indian national was intercepted attempting to smuggle diamonds in noodle packets inside his trolley bag on a flight to Bangkok, while a foreign national traveling from Colombo to Mumbai was found carrying gold bars and a cut piece concealed in her undergarments. Several Indian nationals traveling from various destinations were also intercepted with gold valued at ₹4.04 crore, leading to the arrest of three individuals. Additionally, a fast-food restaurant employee was arrested for allegedly aiding in the smuggling of gold by hiding it in his belt and handing it over to members of a smuggling racket outside the airport.
