Gold worth ₹47L seized at Kochi airport

Kochi: Officials of the customs air intelligence unit (AIU) on Saturday foiled yet another bid to smuggle gold into the country through the Cochin International Airport Ltd (Cial). The officials seized 955.14g of gold in compound form from a carrier who arrived here from Dubai. Customs said the passenger was one Harris, a native of Thrissur. “Customs AIU unit found four capsule-shaped packets containing gold in compound form concealed inside his body. Further investigations are going on,” said a customs official.The seized gold, once extracted, is expected to have a value of around Rs 47 lakh.The gold is converted into compound form by smugglers to try to beat the metal detectors. Also, the compound gold can be converted into shapes convenient for concealment. Pure gold is extracted from the compound once the smuggled contraband reaches the destination. Officers said that an investigation was on to find the source and destination of the contraband.