12kg gold stashed in Jet toilet, crew under suspicion

In a modus operandi that surprised customs officials, smugglers hid 12kg of gold inside the toilet of a Jet Airways plane coming from Dubai and had planned to take the loot out when the aircraft was used on a domestic route.

In a modus operandi that surprised customs officials, smugglers hid 12kg of gold inside the toilet of a Jet Airways plane coming from Dubai and had planned to take the loot out when the aircraft was used on a domestic route.

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The gold, roughly worth Rs 4 crore, was “properly hidden in a false cavity in the roof of the toilet and below a dustbin,” a customs official said.

Suspecting an inside hand with knowledge of the plane’s movement inside the country, customs officials questioned eight crew members but have been unable to establish who hid the gold.

The Directorate of Revenue Intelligence is also involved in the probe.

Jet Airways didn’t respond to requests for comment.