Kochi: The Customs department on Sunday seized 1537.45 grams of gold worth Rs 72.13 lakhs in two separate cases at the Kochi airport in Kerala. According to an official statement from the Air Intelligence Unit (AIU) of the Customs department, the officers seized gold ornaments weighing 450.90 grams worth Rs 23.13 lakh from a passenger who arrived here from Muscat via flight WY-225 and 1086.55 grams of gold concealed inside the body of another person in capsules form from the possession of a Doha passenger at the green channel.
"In the first instance, on the basis of profiling done by the officers of Customs AIU batch, a passenger coming from Muscat to Kochi Airport by flight WY-225, was intercepted at the green channel. During the examination of the said passenger, gold ornaments totally weighing 450.90 grams, having purity of 22 carat, which were concealed by wearing in body were recovered and seized. The value of the gold was Rs 23.13 lakhs," the statement read mentioning that the gold seized was 22 carats pure.
"In the second instance, on the basis of profiling done by the officers of Customs AIU batch, a passenger coming from Doha to Kochi Airport by flight IX416 was intercepted at the green channel. During the examination of the said passenger, 04 capsules of gold in compound form totally weighing 1086.55 grams concealed inside his body were recovered and seized. The value was Rs 49 lakhs," it said further.
Investigation in both cases is currently underway. More details are awaited.
On Friday, the Customs department in Kerala seized 805.62 grams of gold worth Rs 40 lakh from the possession of a Palakkad resident at the Cochin International Airport.
The officials had also seized 1062.89 grams of gold worth over Rs 54 lakhs in two instances from two female passengers at Kochi airport. (ANI)
