Sri Lanka Customs officials at the Bandaranaike Airport (BIA) in Katunayake today (14 Jan.) arrested a woman who arrived from India over an attempt to smuggle gold into the country.
The suspect, identified as a 30-year-old resident of Gampaha, was arrested early this morning, based on Indian intelligence received by the Customs’ Revenue Task Force.
She had reportedly been travelling to Sri Lanka from Dubai, via Chennai, India.
A search of the arrestee’s luggage led to the seizure of a carefully hidden stock of gold weighing 4,892 grams, including several 24-carat necklaces, rings and bracelets, 27 plates of 24-carat gold and eight capsules containing liquid gold.
The jewellery had been coated with silver and the gold plates were guised to look like bank cards, while the total consignment of gold was valued at an estimate of over Rs. 110 million.
