Gold worth Rs 6.24 crore seized on tip-off at Chennai airport; 6 held

Chennai: A total of 17.9 kg of gold worth Rs 6.24 crore has been seized and six people have been arrested in this connection, directorate of revenue intelligence officials said here Friday.

Acting on information that some foreign origin gold was being smuggled into the country, a search conducted Thursday at the city airport yielded the precious metal, the officials said.

The gold was concealed in domestic appliances and gadgets by passengers, they said.

Also, a huge number of iPhones, smartwatches, USB chips, storage devices, camera lens and cigarettes worth Rs 1.1 crore were seized, a DRI press release said.

During the operation, Indian and foreign currencies valued at Rs 33 lakh were seized from the passengers who admitted that the sales proceeds would be remitted to them through hawala channels, the release said.

Investigations revealed that the gang was working in co-ordination with a mastermind in Malaysia who would identify passengers returning to India from Dubai, Malaysia, and Singapore, and ask them to carry the appliances and gadgets for monetary gain, it said.

Three automobiles used to carry the smuggled goods from the airport were also seized, the release said.

The six arrested, including the mastermind and his aide, his close relative and two individuals, the release said.

In a separate incident, 5.72 kg of gold valued at Rs 1.97 crore concealed in one of the seats of an aircraft which arrived here from an overseas destination were confiscated.

In another incident, 1.13 kg of gold worth Rs 37.41 lakh that was smuggled in from Malaysia was seized at the Tiruchirapalli airport and the mastermind arrested, the release added.