Two Emirates crew held with 9.46 kg gold worth Rs 12 cr in Chennai

CHENNAI: Customs officials seized 9.46 kg gold worth Rs 11.5 crore from two Emirates Airlines cabin crew members who arrived from Dubai. Three others, including a passenger who supplied the gold, and two Chennai-based receivers were also arrested.

Based on intelligence that a large quantity of smuggled gold would be brought into Chennai on a Dubai-Chennai flight, and that airline staff may be involved, the customs officers had maintained tight surveillance at the airport.

The Emirates flight landed in Chennai around 8 am on Tuesday. After passengers disembarked, the cabin crew also exited the aircraft. Customs officers, who had been monitoring the movement of two male flight attendant, stopped them for questioning. With permission from the aircraft captain, both were taken to the Customs room for a full-body examination.

During the search, officers found multiple Velcro body belts strapped around their waists, and found ten white packets concealed within — the packets contained gold paste, and 9.46 kg pure gold.

During their interrogation, the crew members said that a passenger on the same flight had handed over the gold paste to them in Dubai, nearly four hours before departure.

The crew, both Indians residing in Dubai, were scheduled to stay at a star hotel near Chennai airport and return to Dubai by the following morning's Emirates flight.

Further questioning revealed that once they checked in to their hotel, the passenger who supplied the gold and the two local receivers were to collect the smuggled consignment. Customs immediately raided the hotel and arrested the passenger and the two receivers.

All five accused were presented before the Special Court for Customs in Chennai early on Wednesday and remanded in judicial custody. An investigation is on to nab others involved in the smuggling racket.