Customs seizes gold worth Rs 97 lakh

When they were checking passengers who arrived from Singapore on Monday, the officials stopped Noor Ayasha (39) from Cuddalore. When she was searched, they found eight crude gold bangles weighing about 390 gm worth Rs 14 lakh hidden inside her clothes.

In another case on the same day, the Customs stopped Sahul Hameed (39), Sheik Dawood (330 and Syed Aputhakir (33) from Ramanathapuram who arrived from Dubai. The officials found gold in the form of rubbery spread concealed in their rectums, together weighing one kg worth Rs 37.8 lakh. The officials also found 31 cartons of Gudang Garam cigarettes valued Rs 75,000 in their checked in baggage. The gold and cigarettes were seized, and Syed Aouthakir, who has an earlier offense booked against him, was arrested.

Among other cases detected at airport was Shaik Madhar Shaib (40) of Ramanathapuram who arrived from Colombo carrying 369 gm gold; Syed Afthahir Liyagath Ali (29) of Chennai who arrived from Kula Lumpur carrying gold weighing 413 grams; Maideen of Ramanathapuram (51) who had arrived from Dubai carrying 245 gm of gold; and Mohamed Yasar Arapath (25) from Thondi who tried to smuggle 202 gm gold.