Sixteen passengers arrested in five days at KIA

NT Correspondent

Bengaluru: Sixteen passengers including 11 women were arrested by the Customs officials at the Kempegowda International Airport (KIA) after the officials seized 3.31 kg of gold valued at over Rs 2 crore from their possession.

The Bengaluru Customs officials said that the passengers arrived from different countries such as Bangkok, Sharjah, Jeddah and Kuala Lumpur, over a period of five days and the concealed valuables were seized from them in four different instances on December 23, 24, 25 and 26.

The gold was largely concealed in the clothes, socks and undergarments of the passengers, said Customs officials.

The maximum seizure on a single day was made on Thursday (December 28) when 1.9 kg of gold was seized from four male passengers, two of whom were arriving from Bangkok by Thai Airways International.

"The two passengers from Bangkok, both Navi Mumbai natives, reached KIA by flight TG 325 by 11.30pm. Each had concealed a crude gold chain, valued at 734gm. One passenger had concealed it in his handkerchief while the other had kept it inside his pocket," the officials said.

Another flyer caught on the same day was a native of Coimbatore. He had arrived by Batik Airlines flight from Kuala Lumpur (OD-241) and had concealed three crude gold chains, totally weighing 200gm, inside his undergarments.

The final passenger nabbed that day came from Sharjah by Air Arabia flight G9- 946. Venkateswaralu Katuru from Andhra Pradesh tried to bring in two gold bars totaling 233 grams inside a secret pocket in his jeans, they said.

On December 26, ten women flyers, all from Shivamogga, accompanied by a male passenger, arrived after their Hajj pilgrimage. They were booked for concealing crude gold chains under their burqas.

Another flyer was caught on December 24 for concealing two packets containing gold in paste form, stitched inside his pair of socks, the officials added.