The Air Customs Intelligence Unit at Calicut International Airport, Karipur, seized seven kilogram gold worth Rs. 2 crore from a woman passenger who arrived on Oman Air flight WY 291 on Tuesday.
Another passenger who came from Dubai via Muscat on the same flight was also arrested in connection with the seizure.
Tip-off
A Customs team led by Assistant Commissioner S.P. Shyam Sundhar waited for the carrier at the airport on the basis of intelligence information that a passenger named Hassainar from Dubai was coming with a huge quantity of gold.
On questioning, Hassainar, 41, from Kasaragod, denied having carried any gold.
The Customs team, comprising Superintendents P. Girishbabu, T.G. Rajith, E.C. Sasidharan, and K.P. Dharmarajan, Central Excise Superintendent E. Rema, air intelligence officers Aravind Kumar, Ashok Kumar, and Saket Sing Dhillon, and havildars D. Lakshmanan, M. Murugan, Radhamani and Govinda Prakash, after a thorough investigation, found the bill of the 7 kg gold bars Hassainar bought in Dubai and his gold declaration before the Dubai Customs from the toilet dustbin of the Oman Air flight.
Further investigation revealed that Hassainar had handed over the gold hidden in a jacket to Dipali Vijay Maskar, 34, from Kandivali, Mumbai. Maskar was intercepted and the gold seized from her while she was moving through the green channel in a wheelchair.
Both passengers were arrested.
