CHENNAI: In a major bust, Air Intelligence Unit (AIU) officials of the Chennai Customs on Tuesday seized 9.46 kilograms of pure 24-carat gold, valued at approximately Rs 11.5 crore, and arrested five individuals, including two male flight attendants of Emirates Airlines.
The operation was launched based on specific intelligence indicating that a large quantity of smuggled gold was being brought into Chennai from Dubai on a passenger flight, with the involvement of airline crew members.
Acting on the tip-off, AIU officials placed the Emirates flight which arrived from Dubai at Chennai International Airport around 8 am Tuesday under intense surveillance. After all passengers had deplaned, officials grew suspicious of two male cabin crew members.
Following due procedure and obtaining permission from the aircraft's captain, the two attendants were taken to the Customs office for a thorough examination. A body search revealed they had concealed large parcels using Velcro-sticker bands attached to their bodies around the waist and chest areas.
Upon removal, ten parcels wrapped in white paper were recovered. These parcels contained gold paste, which, after purification, yielded 9 kg and 460 gm of pure gold.
Preliminary interrogation revealed that the gold was handed over to the crew members in Dubai by a passenger on the same flight, approximately four hours before departure. The crew, who are Indian nationals residing in Dubai, were on duty to Chennai. They were scheduled to stay at a hotel near the airport and return to Dubai on another Emirates flight on Wednesday.
The crew further disclosed that the gold was to be delivered to the passenger who gave it to them and two other recipients at their hotel. Acting swiftly, AIU officials raided the hotel near the airport and arrested the passenger and two Chennai-based receivers.
With these arrests, the total number of individuals taken into custody rose to five. The arrested persons were produced before the Special Customs Court in Chennai early Wednesday morning and Customs officials have taken them into their custody for further intensive interrogation.