Hyderabad Customs seize gold valued at Rs 1.17 crore, 62,400 smuggled cigarettes

Hyderabad: Hyderabad Customs officials on Monday said they have seized smuggled gold weighing 1.93 kg valued at Rs 1.17 crore and over 62,000 smuggled Cigarette sticks in different cases at the international airport here.

Based on passenger profiling and surveillance, the officers of Hyderabad Customs seized the smuggled gold and the cigarettes on July 9, a release from the Customs department said. In one case, smuggled gold weighing 1,399 grams in the form of bars was seized from a passenger who had arrived in Hyderabad from Dubai, it said. On further investigation, it was found the plan was for an Airport staff member to take the gold through.

Customs foiled the plan in a swift interception, the release said, adding that both the passenger and the Airport staffer were placed under arrest. In the second case, 526 grams of smuggled gold was recovered from a passenger who had allegedly concealed the yellow metal in the rectum in the form of two capsules. In two other cases, a total of 62,400 smuggled cigarettes were seized from two passengers who arrived here from Bangkok and Dubai respectively. Further investigation is on, the release added