Mumbai, Aug 31 (Mid-day): The man also hid about 400 gm gold in his rectum; he had arrived from Bangkok and pretended to be a wheelchair-bound person

It seems that smugglers have a new modus operandi to smuggle gold. A 60-year-old, posing as a wheelchair-bound passenger, was caught yesterday for smuggling gold in a fake bandage on his leg. Mumbai Customs caught the Indian senior citizen, who had arrived by a Jet Airways flight from Bangkok and had also hid gold in his rectum.

The B batch of Air Intelligence Unit (AIU officers) seized five pieces of gold from Mushtaque Ali Ibrahim, holding Indian passport No. M2387587, last afternoon. The cut pieces weighed 930 gm in all and are valued at Rs 22, 19, 654. . Ibrahim was arrested and released on bail after paying Rs 50,000.

Smooth operator

"The gold was concealed by the passenger on the left leg (530 gm) and in rectum (400 gm). The passenger was on a wheelchair," said an AIU official.

He added, "We had a similar case few months ago wherein a female passenger pretending to be a wheelchair-bound person was caught while smuggling the yellow metal."

A Mumbai Customs official explained, "The passenger had bandages on his chest, hand and leg. He was caught in the arrival hall. Though we had a similar case three months back, hiding gold in fake bandages has been seen for the first time. In the case in June this year, the 75-year-old lady was on a wheelchair but had gold on her person that was undeclared," he added.