Mangalore: Gold worth Rs 25 lac found under seat in flight, one arrested

Daijiworld Media Network – Mangalore

Mangalore, Oct 8: The officials of the customs department arrested a passenger at Mangalore International Airport on Monday October 7 for trying to smuggle 1 kg of gold.

The arrested is identified as Yusuf Koppala (35) from Kasargod.

The value of the seized gold is estimated to be Rs 25 lac.

It is said that Yusuf demanded '23 C' seat in the Jet Airways flight. Even though the airport officials tried to placate him and offered another seat, he remained adamant and insisted on getting the same seat.

Seeing his persistent demand, the officials grew suspicious. The customs officials along with Jet Airways flight officers then inspected the flight and found one kg of gold in the form of biscuit beneath the 23 C seat.

After landing in Mangalore, the same flight connects to Mumbai where it lands in the domestic terminal. It is said that the gold was hidden in the flight by another passenger, an accomplice of Yusuf who boarded the flight in Dubai. Yusuf, by getting into the same flight in Mangalore, was supposed to take the gold from 23 C seat and hand it over to another person in Mumbai, for which he was promised money, it is learnt.