Bhubaneswar: The Air Intelligence Unit (AIU) of the Customs department Friday seized gold worth about `10 lakh at the Biju Patnaik International Airport (BPIA) here.
Following a tip-off, AIU sleuths intercepted a passenger of Indian origin at the BPIA late Thursday night. The accused who hails from Chennai arrived at the BPIA from Kuala Lumpur by AIR Asia flight AK 31. During his baggage search, the sleuths found four gold cylindrical bars concealed in the four wheels of his trolley bag.
The AIU has seized contraband gold weighing around 5.5 kg in the last two months. The current seizure of around 301 grams is the first in May and 14th during this period.
The total weight of the seized gold is 301.6 grams with approximately 99 percent purity and its total value was put at `9, 64, 818.
The BPIA is believed to have become a safe transit point for gold smugglers. They have been targeting it since the launch of International operations. “BPIA being a new route in the international air travel, the smugglers are taking a chance regarding the security at the airport. However, our officials have been successfully catching hold of them,” Customs sources said recently.
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