Mumbai Customs seizes gold, electronics worth Rs 8.68 crore at airport; 3 held

The Mumbai Customs has seized 106 kg of gold and electronics worth Rs 868 crore and foreign currency in 31 cases at the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport an official said on Monday reported the PTIThree persons were arrested in connection with the seizures in the last four days the official saidAccording to the PTI gold in various forms such as gold dust in wax crude jewellery and bars was found concealed in an electric iron and the body of a passenger a press release issued by Mumbai Custom ZoneIII saidThe Mumbai Customs officials apprehended a contractual staffer of the airport who had concealed four pouches of gold dust in wax valued at Rs 818 lakh inside his shoes the release saidMeanwhile in another case two Indians travelling from Bahrain and Male had hidden 1890 gm of gold dust in wax in their bodiesAll three accused involved in these seizures were arrested it was statedDuring the fourday operation officials also seized gold from five foreign nationals travelling from Nairobi Colombo and Dubai and 14 Indians from Dubai Jeddah Sharjah and Singapore as per the PTIEight Indians travelling from Dubai were found carrying expensive mobile phones laptops and cosmetics valued at Rs 195 crore while a passenger travelling fromMumbai to Doha was caught with 74000 Qatari riyals valued at Rs 175 lakh the press release saidIn an another case earlier this month the Mumbai Customs had seized 1162 kg of gold and iPhones valued at Rs 744 crore and Rs 12 lakh in cash in separate cases at the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport an official said on Friday reported news agency PTIThe action was taken in 18 cases of contraband seizureThe officials had said that seven people were arrested and taken into police custodyIn a similar case the officials of the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence DRI at Mumbai airport intercepted a Brazilian national on May 8 2024 based on specific intelligence regarding drug smuggling The suspect aroused suspicion and upon questioning confessed to ingesting capsules containing drugs intending to smuggle them into IndiaOn questioning the passenger admitted to having ingested capsules containing drugs and carrying the same in his body for smuggling into India The passenger was produced before the Magistrate and as per the court order he was admitted to Sir JJ Hospital Mumbai an official had earlier saidwith PTI inputs