Indian Customs officials at the Madurai airport seized 604 grams of raw gold chains (unfinished 24 karat gold chains) and 35 bottles of foreign liquor from 11 persons, all Indian citizens, who arrived from Sri Lanka.
The gold chains, numbering seven, were recovered from as many persons. The officials confiscated the gold and registered a case under the provisions of the Customs Act, 1962, against them.
Assistant Commissioner (Customs) M. Chandrasekaran said that the customs officials on duty grew suspicious with 11 persons, who arrived by a Mihin Lanka flight on Thursday.
Upon frisking them and checking their baggage, the officials found that seven of them were in possession of gold chains and liquor bottles, which they had stealthily brought in without paying customs duty. The four others had carried only liquor bottles.
The 35 liquor bottles were valued at Rs. 35,000. The total worth of the smuggled goods was 1.655 million Indian rupees.
Mr. Chandrasekaran said that upon instructions from Commissioner (Customs) R.K. Routray, the officials had intensified checking for smuggling of gold. Since the smuggled goods were worth less than 2 million Indian rupees, none was arrested.
Source: The Hindu
