Hyderabad, Jul 5 (IANS): Customs officials at the Rajiv Gandhi International Airport here have seized 2.279 kg gold valued at Rs.1.37 crore in three separate cases.

The officials also seized more than one lakh cigarette sticks from another passenger.

Based on passenger profiling and surveillance, the Customs seized the gold.

In the first case, the smuggled gold, weighing 1,196 grams and valued at Rs 72 lakh, was seized upon searching the aircraft. The gold was concealed behind an aircraft seat in paste form in an aircraft which had arrived at Hyderabad from Ras-al-Khaima.

In the second case,752 grams of smuggled gold, in the form of cut pieces of gold bars, valued at Rs 45 lakh was recovered from passenger who had arrived from Kuwait via Dubai.

The officials seized 331 grams of smuggled gold valued at Rs 20 lakh from a passenger who came from Sharjah. The gold was ingeniously concealed in paste form in an undergarment.

In another case, 1,01,000 smuggled cigarette sticks were seized from three passengers who arrived from Cambodia via Bangkok