Media Release
Mangaluru, May 4: During the last month, the customs officers at Mangalore International Airport seized smuggled gold, cigarettes and foreign currency valued over Rs 93 lac.
The officers seized contraband gold weighing above 2.2 kg which were ingeniously concealed and attempted to be smuggled. In the first case, primary gold was found to be concealed in the motor portion of a mixer grinder, while in the second case two cylindrical shaped gold rods concealed in the battery portion of mobile power banks were recovered. The value of the gold seized in these two cases is estimated to be over Rs 68 lac. One passenger was also arrested.
On gathering inputs that there is a surge in smuggling of foreign currency by passengers departing to Abu Dhabi and Dubai, the officers kept special watch on the movements of certain profiled passengers. This resulted in six seizures of foreign currency attempted to be smuggled out of India equivalent to Rs 22.88 lac.
Further, five cases of smuggling of cigarettes of various foreign brands valued over Rs 2.44 lac were detected and the contraband seized.
Investigations are in progress.