Gold, foreign currencies worth Rs 56.7 lakh seized at Chennai airport

Chennai: Customs officials have recovered gold and foreign currencies worth Rs 56.7 lakh from passengers in three separate incidents at the airport here in the past two days.

In the first incident, the sleuths intercepted 24-year-old Sheikh Abdullah Jahhupar Sathik who arrived here from Kuala Lumpur today and recovered gold that was concealed inside the cells of laptop batteries kept in his baggage.

The gold, weighing 1,190 grams, worth Rs 36 lakh. The passenger was arrested, an official release said. In the second incident yesterday, the officials recovered 225 grams of gold worth Rs 7 lakh from 35-year-old Amrinunul Aas on his arrival from Doha.

In the third incident, the officials recovered 78,000 Saudi Riyals equivalent to Rs 13.7 lakh from two passengers who arrived from Colombo. The currencies were concealed in their rectum, the release said.

Further investigation was on, the release added.