Odisha: Gold bars seized at Bhubaneswar Airport again

Bhubaneswar: A day after three gold bars and 143 gold rings were seized at the Biju Patnaik International Airport (BPIA) in Odisha capital, as many as 15 gold bars weighing 1143.78 grams worth Rs 34,90,816 were recovered from two passengers at the airport today by the Air Intelligence unit of the Customs Department.

Acting on spot intelligence, officers intercepted two passengers of Indian origin hailing from Punjab who arrived from Bangkok via Kuala Lumpur by Air Asia flight AK-31 on intervening night of 28th/29th March, a release of the department said.

On conducting body search, 15 pieces of yellow metal bars wrapped with black adhesives were recovered from their rectum, the release added.

Notably, the Air Intelligence unit of the Customs Department had yesterday seized gold bars and ornaments worth over Rs 12 lakh from two passengers who arrived at the Biju Patnaik International Airport here from Bangkok.

The Customs officials had seized three gold bars and 143 gold rings having a combined weight of 378 gm from the two passengers who are natives of Thane in Maharashtra.

The passengers who had arrived here from Bangkok via Kuala Lumpur by an Air Asia flight on the intervening night of March 27-28 had hidden the gold bars in their rectums while concealing the gold rings in the buttons on their shirts and trousers.

Earlier on November 13, last year, 34 gold bars weighing 661.53 grams were seized at the airport from Muhammad Kabir (46) of Tamil Nadu. Similarly, four gold bars weighing 607.160 grams were recovered from a 52-year-old person hailing from Maharashtra on May 5, this year. Another such incident had taken place on March 10 when gold ornaments worth Rs 22.23 lakhs were seized from four passengers.