Officials of the Air Customs unit at the Cochin International Airport in India nabbed a 71- year-old Sri Lankan woman and seized gold worth 4.2 million Indian rupees from her possession.
The passenger, who landed in Kochi by a Sri Lankan Airlines flight from Colombo on Monday morning, was identified as Sivayoganayagi. The gold, in the form of five gold chains, three gold coins and a ring, was found concealed in her dress and together weighed 1.56 kg, the Hindu reported.
The accused was intercepted at the exit gate of the arrival hall while attempting to escape through the green channel. The arrest followed a tip-off about some passengers bringing in a huge consignment of gold.
“During the interrogation, the accused revealed she had hidden the gold inside her saree, a modus operandi that has in recent times gained popularity among smugglers of precious metals’’, officials said.
Preliminary investigations revealed that the accused was on her way to Chennai and that she had landed at various Indian airports several times before, the report said.
