Dh5.6m gold in airplane toilet; Smugglers from Gulf held in India

Gold smuggling  into India continues as two more passengers were caught with gold worth Rs9.5 crore [about Dh5.6m] on Monday at Chennai airport.

According to the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI), the Sri Lankan passengers – who arrived from the Gulf and were scheduled to fly ahead to New Delhi - allegedly hid the gold in the toilet of the aircraft. They are suspected to be accomplices of two others - involved in the smuggling racket - who got off at Chennai.

The DRI acted upon a reliable tip-off that it received about a big consignment of gold being smuggled on that particular flight. It is reported that the DRI is not ruling out the involvement of airline crew as this is the second such instance where gold was found hidden in the aircraft.

In an earlier case, gold bars were found stashed beneath seats. Last month two women passengers arriving from the Gulf were held at Kochi airport with 20kg gold. The investigations in that case continue, with several customs officials transferred and a NRI arrested.

In June 2013 five Sri Lankans were arrested at Chennai airport for attempted smuggling of gold. Indian media reports claimed that the gang - on a one-year employment visa in the Gulf - carried  several kilos of gold during their regular trips by hiding them inside their body.

In April, an arrest was made after gold was discovered under the seat of an aircraft. Usually smugglers use international flights that also fly on domestic routes in order to swap hands, reports media.

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