A security officer at the Katunayake International Airport has been arrested for assisting a passenger to smuggle 3 kilograms of gold out of the airport by strapping it to his knee, Sri Lanka Customs said.
The gold was brought into the country by a passenger who had arrived at the airport from Singapore last night and had handed over the precious metal to the airport employee.
The employee, attached to the security unit at the airport, was arrested by customs officers when he attempted to leave the airport with the gold strapped on to his knee.
Around 30 pieces of gold, each weighing 100 grams and estimated to be worth Rs 15 million in total, was seized from the suspect, a resident of Kandy.
Investigations are ongoing to apprehend the suspect responsible for bringing in the gold, a customs spokesman said.
