Customs seize 2.77 kg of gold and 4.8 kg ganja worth ₹7 crore

Mumbai: Customs seized 2.77 kg gold worth ₹1.87 crore and 4.8 kg Marijuana worth ₹5 crore at Mumbai airport, arresting 5 people in two separate cases.

Mumbai: The Customs Department’s Air Intelligence Unit seized 2.77 kg of gold and 4.8 kg of Marijuana in total estimated to be worth ₹7 crore, in two separate cases at Mumbai’s international airport on Saturday and arrested 5 people in both cases.

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In the first case, a couple that had arrived from Jeddah was carrying 2.77 Kg of 24 KT gold wire (Rhodium plated) valued at ₹1.87 crore in one of the unique cases. The gold was found concealed inside the inner lining of their 4 trolley bags.

In the second case, Marijuana (Ganja) concealed in cereal boxes weighing 4.890 kilograms worth ₹5 crore were found. The arrested accused were identified as Yusuf Noor, 37, a resident of Delhi, and Sameer, 42, and Abdul Sabith B,29, residents of Kerala. The trio was arrested for allegedly smuggling contraband.

AIU officials spotted Noor when he arrived at CSMI airport on an Air India flight around 2:15 from Bangkok, Thailand, on Saturday. The search was conducted in front of the gazette officer and he found a dark green coloured trolley bag containing 10 packets of various food items like corn flakes roasted corn, cake, and non-dairy creamer present inside the bag that were unusually heavier and rigid. All the packets were opened and found to be filled with substances purported to be Ganja.

During interrogation, Noor allegedly confessed that one person was coming outside the airport to receive the parcel so a team from AIU then went outside the airport with Noor and two persons Sameer and Abdul Sabith B were watching and taking photographs of Noor. Based on suspicion, both were taken into custody for interrogation. While checking their phones, it was found that they were allegedly part of the smuggling racket. During their interrogation, Sameer and Abdul Sabith confessed that they were given the responsibility to identify Noor and to communicate with another gang member, Mohamed Mashood aka Machoo. The AIU team then tried to find Machoo, as per the details given by the accused, but he did not come to the airport, said an AIU official.

The carrier passenger and two receivers were arrested under the NDPS Act.