The Air Intelligence Unit (AIU) at the Cochin airport in Kerala, has made a substantial seizure of gold from a passenger who arrived from a Gulf country on November 2. Customs officers confirmed the confiscation of gold accessories comprising five gold buttons, a ring, and a hair clip, collectively valued at over Rs 1.1 million.
The confiscated gold weighed in at 763 grams with a market value of Rs 1,163,981. According to the Customs officials, the discovery was made when the AIU officers, acting on a tip-off, conducted a thorough search of the passenger’s belongings. “The profiling done by our officers was crucial in identifying the suspect,” an official statement explained. The gold was ingeniously concealed, with the buttons being stitched onto three pairs of jeans.
Customs have seized the items under the provisions of the Customs Act of 1962, and further investigations are expected to follow.
This incident follows a similar case at the Cochin International Airport last month, where Customs officials arrested an individual for smuggling 24-carat gold rings and additional gold jewellery with a combined weight of 619.30 grams, worth Rs 3.335 million.