Maharashtra: Gold worth Rs 2.10 cr hidden in coffee maker seized at Nagpur Airport

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The Customs department at the Nagpur International Airport on Friday seized gold worth Rs 2.10 crore concealed in a coffee maker, officials said.

According to an official, a passenger coming from Sharjah in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) concealed the gold in a coffee maker

Based on profiling, a passenger was intercepted and recovery of crude gold weighing 3.497 kg, valued Rs 2.01 crore was made, said officials.

The gold was seized and further investigation is underway, they added.

Earlier this month, two kilograms of gold dust worth over Rs one crore was seized at Mumbai airport in Maharashtra from an Indian family who arrived from Singapore.

According to the Mumbai Customs official, the gold dust, valued at Rs 1,05,27,331, was concealed in the undergarments of the couple and their three-year-old child.

"Based on profiling, Officers of Mumbai Airport Customs on September 12, 2023, seized 24 KT Gold Dust weighing 2.0 kgs from an Indian family travelling from Singapore. The gold was concealed by the two passengers in their inner garments and the diaper of their three-year-old child," said the official. (ANI)

Mumbai: Kurar and Malwani police arrest five for kidnapping

Meanwhile, the Kurar and Malwani police rescued two kidnapped children this week despite their busy schedule. While four people involved in the first kidnapping, arrested on Thursday had tried to sell the child, a woman longed for a male child and decided to kidnap for the same in another case. She was arrested on Friday.

The first incident unfolded late on Tuesday night when a 2-year-old girl was abducted near a bridge in Malad East. She was later discovered outside the Manidar temple at Dadar station.

Also read: Mumbai crime: Gold-smuggling mastermind leaps out of DRI office window, flees with evidence

The accused woman is seen in CCTV footage carrying the boy awayThe accused woman is seen in CCTV footage carrying the boy away

The family of the child, which sells toys on the bustling streets of Mumbai, resides beneath the flyover on the Western Express Highway at Malad. On Tuesday night, the parents woke up and did not find her with them. After a frantic search, they filed a complaint with the Kurar police.

Determined to reunite the child with her family, the police combed the local area for leads. But the Dadar Government Railway Police (GRP) informed them that a 2-year-old girl had been found in front of a temple at Dadar Station Flat No. 1. On being shown her photograph, the distressed parents identified their child, and the police reunited the girl with her grateful family.

"It was revealed that the four individuals responsible for the kidnapping intended to sell the child for profit. However, the prospective buyer backed out on realizing that the child was older than initially believed. Consequently, the culprits abandoned the girl outside the temple and fled. Alerted to the situation, a citizen contacted the police, leading to the apprehension of the kidnappers and their associates," said a police source.

"The arrested individuals are believed to be affiliated to a notorious child-lifting syndicate, to traffic children to meet the demands of those seeking to adopt or acquire children," said an officer from Kurar police station.

In the other case, the Malwani police apprehended a 28-year-old woman who had abducted a one-and-a-half-year-old boy near the Gaondevi temple. According to police sources, the child had been playing in a garden with his 8-year-old sister late Thursday evening when the accused approached. She enticed the girl with Rs 200 and asked her to fetch biscuits. When the sister returned, the toddler and the woman had vanished.

The child's parents had been away at the market, and upon their return, they were informed of the incident by their daughter. They searched the neighbourhood and lodged a complaint with the police.

"Under the supervision of Senior Inspector Chimaji Adhav, the Malwani police formed multiple teams, amid their busy Ganpati Bandobast. They examined numerous CCTV footage from the vicinity and other locations. Soon they found footage showing the accused walking with the kidnapped child. This led to her apprehension and the rescue of the child," said DCP Ajaykumar Bansal Zone XI.

"During the course of the investigation, it was revealed that the accused was married with two daughters, aged 6 and 3, and resided with her husband in Rathodi at Malwani. Her motive for the abduction stemmed from her desperate desire to have a son," said another officer.