Customs officials seized 445 gm gold worth Rs 14.34 lakh

Customs officials seized 445 gm gold worth Rs 14.34 lakh from a passenger at the RGI Airport on Thursday night.

The passenger, who arrived from Dubai by an IndiGo flight, had concealed eight gold plates inside the battery of a chargeable lamp, called emergency light in local parlance. The lamp worked normally even with the gold stuffed in the lamp housing.“Based on specific information, we opened the gadget and found the gold plates concealed in it. The passenger had coated it with black powder to avoid detection,” a Customs official said.

The seized contraband was sent to India by a smuggler based in Dubai through the passenger without keeping him in the loop. “The main culprit had clicked a picture of the passenger who was handed over the device. The picture was reportedly forwarded to the receiver who would have collected the consignment at the airport,” the official said.