Now, Rs 5.6 lakh gold seized from man’s rectum at Chandigarh airport

Smuggling gold through body concealment has become a regular practice at the airport. Since July last year, at least seven such cases have been reported.

Two days after two Gurdaspur women were caught smuggling 800-gram gold concealed in their rectum, customs officials nabbed a Mumbai man using the same mode to sneak in 180-gram gold bars worth Rs 5.6 lakh at the Chandigarh airport on Thursday.

A Mumbai man was caught trying to smuggle 180-gram gold bars worth Rs 5.6 lakh at the Chandigarh airport on Thursday. (Representative image)

Smuggling on the rise

Cases are being reported at the Chandigarh airport regularly

Concealed in body: 7 cases (since July 2017)

Gold worth Rs 15 crore recovered (since Sept 2016)

The man, whose identity has not been disclosed, landed here from Dubai. He was stopped on suspicion.

The man confessed that he was working for a Dubai-based smuggling network run by Indian nationals. He was to meet someone outside the airport. He was to be paid Rs 3,000 for acting as the courier.

Sources said the man was in pain while taking out the gold bars. He was let off after intense questioning.

Smuggling gold through body concealment has become a regular practice at the airport. Since July last year, at least seven such cases have been reported. Customs officials have seized gold worth at least Rs 15 crore since international operations began in September 2016.