Hyderabad: Gold Worth Rs 1 Crore Seized At Airport, Two Persons Arrested

Both the passengers were arrested when they arrived in Hyderabad from Kuwait via Dubai.

Customs officials at Rajiv Gandhi International Airport (IGIA) in Hyderabad arrested two persons in two separate cases and recovered 1.725 kg of gold valued at Rs 1.03 crore. The two persons were arrested based on passenger profiling technique and surveillance, IANS reported.

In the first case, gold in the form of cut pieces of bars and jewellry, valued at Rs 72.55 lakh, was seized from a passenger who arrived in Hyderabad from Kuwait via Dubai. The passenger was arrested under the provisions of the Customs Act.

In the second case, 500 grams of gold valued at Rs 30.51 lakh was seized from a passenger who arrived in Hyderabad from Kuwait via Doha.

In a tweet, Hyderabad Customs said, " On the basis of pax profiling and surveillance, @hydcus has seized 1.725 kgs of smuggled gold valued at Rs. 1.03 Crores in 2 different cases, on 17.07.2023. Further investigation under progress".

Earlier, customs officials at Rajiv Gandhi Airport seized heroin worth Rs 14.2 crore from an African woman who arrived from Nairobi. The passenger, a Burundi citizen, who arrived on July 2 aboard an Air Arabia Airways flight, was identified and intercepted based on passenger profiling and careful observation, officials said.

The passenger, aged around 43, was arrested under the NDPS Act, 1985, and subsequently sent to judicial custody by a court.

During the examination of her baggage, officials discovered 2,027 grams of heroin concealed within various items. The officials found that eight traditional African dresses, a handbag, and three soaps in her baggage appeared to be heavier than normal, a statement said.

While opening of the side walls and layers of the dresses and handbag, plastic packets containing heroin were found.