CHENNAI: Alert CISF personnel at the Chennai airport helped seize gold worth Rs 1.6 crore, and arrest two transit passengers and a contract worker on Wednesday

The CISF personnel on security duty at the departure terminal grew suspicious after noticing that Manivannan (30), an airport staffer, entering the toilet used by the transit passengers and coming out after a long time.

The officials followed Manivannan and found that he was hurrying towards the exit gate. They immediately detained him. During a personal search, the CISF officials found a parcel hidden inside his clothes. Inside that, there were four pouches containing gold in paste form.

During interrogation, he confessed that he got the smuggled gold from two transit passengers from Sri Lanka who arrived from Dubai. They had placed it inside the restroom and asked him to hand it over to the person waiting outside the airport.

Based on this, the CISF arrested the Lankan passengers, Mohamed Ribas (38) and Mohamed Inzamam (35), who were then handed to the Air Customs officials.

The Customs officials said the gold weighed about 2.7 kg, and estimated it to be worth Rs 1.6 crore. All three of them were arrested and further inquiry is on.