Man held for trying to smuggle gold worth Rs 38.62 lakh

Acting on a tip-off that gold concealed in various forms was being brought to Madurai from Dubai, officials intercepted a person who arrived on September 20 by a private airliner, a DRI release said.

Upon checking the baggage of the passenger, officials noticed that certain items like pens, sandals, key rings, watches were found to be "abnormally" heavy and coated with nickel.

Investigations revealed that 24-carat gold was hidden in metal parts inside the goods seized from the passenger. The total weight of gold was 1,380 grams valued at Rs 38.62 lakh, the release said.

On interrogation, the passenger confessed that the items were handed over to him by a person in Dubai and that he was instructed to give it to another person in Madurai, for a commission.

The items carried by the passenger were seized and he was arrested under the Customs Act, 1962 for attempting to smuggle the gold, the release added.