South Korean man tries to smuggle gold worth Rs4.15 crore into India, held at Mumbai airport

The accused had concealed the bars in the pockets of specially stitched white jacket, which had 18 pockets

Officials of the Air Intelligence Unit (AIU) arrested a south Korean national at the Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport (CSIA) on Monday, while he was trying to smuggle 15kg of gold worth Rs4.15 crore into the country from Hong Kong.

Officials suspect that the accused is part of an international smuggling ring. (HT Photo)

AIU officials said Kim Youngjin arrived at the airport via a Cathay Pacific Airlines flight. They intercepted him based on a suspicion. On searching him, they recovered 15 gold bars, each weighing 1kg. “He had concealed the bars in the pockets of specially stitched white jacket, which had 18 pockets. He was wearing this jacket under his shirt,” read a statement by the AIU.

Officials said they discovery shocked them as they have not witnessed individuals attempting to smuggle such large quantities of gold in one go.

Youngjin confessed to the crime and was booked under the Customs Act.

He was taken into custody, where he will be interrogated further as officials suspect that he is part of an international smuggling ring.