Woman nabbed at Bengaluru airport worth ₹15 lakh for strapping gold into sanitary pad: Report

She was hiding over 300 grams of gold in her sanitary pad and was busted in Bengaluru at the Kempegowda International Airport by customs officials. She had flown from Bangkok, Thailand.

Published on: Sep 21, 2022, 15:51:29 IST

By Yamini C S | Edited by Chandrashekar Srinivasan

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A woman who flew from Thailand to Bengaluru on Friday was caught at the city's Kempegowda International Airport (KIA) for trying to smuggling gold by strapping it into the sanitary pad she was wearing.

A woman was booked in Bengaluru for trying to smuggle gold into the city by hiding over 300 grams of it in her sanitary pad. (HT FILE PHOTO)

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The 26-year-old, who landed in Bengaluru on an IndiGo flight in the early hours of Friday, possessed 302 grams of gold worth ₹15.4 lakhs, The Times of India reported. The gold was in five pieces, all strapped to her sanitary napkin with duct tape. The identity of the woman could not be ascertained.

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Customs officials at KIA were in the process of passenger profiling when they noticed the woman had travelled to Bangkok from Bengaluru on September 6. Officials then questioned why she had travelled to Thailand from Bengaluru while she was a resident of Kurla West, Mumbai.

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Authorities patted her down when she failed to answer and the pat-down revealed she was hiding something beneath her clothes. Upon further interrogation, the gold in her sanitary pad was uncovered and the woman was booked once she handed over the smuggled gold to authorities.

Investigation by the Air Intelligence Unit of Bengaluru Customs revealed that she was smuggling gold on orders of some local gangs. Officials are probing whether she has international links with smuggling gangs in Thailand. Further investigation is underway.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Yamini C S
Yamini CS is a Senior Content Producer at Hindustan Times with nearly six years of experience in digital journalism. She is part of the India News desk, where she works on a wide range of stories cutting across civic issues, city-based developments, politics, governance, public policy, breaking news, trending topics, and international affairs that have an impact on India. Her role involves tracking fast-moving developments, verifying information from official and on-ground sources, and presenting news in a clear, accessible format for a digital-first audience. A significant part of her work includes handling live blogs during major news events, such as elections, court verdicts, political developments, civic disruptions, protests, weather-related alerts, and unfolding national or international incidents. Through live coverage, she focuses on timely updates to help readers follow complex stories as they evolve. Before moving to the broader India News desk, Yamini was associated with the Bengaluru desk at Hindustan Times, where she extensively covered urban governance, infrastructure, traffic and transport issues, weather events, public grievances, and civic administration in the city. This experience strengthened her grounding in city reporting and sharpened her focus on citizen-centric journalism. She began her career as a correspondent with Reuters after completing a postgraduate diploma in journalism from the Indian Institute of Journalism and New Media. Her early training instilled a strong emphasis on accuracy, sourcing, and news ethics, which continue to shape her reporting style. Outside of work, Yamini enjoys reading across genres, listening to music, and spending time with her family, which help her maintain balance in a fast-paced newsroom environment.Read More

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