New Delhi, Jul 5 (IANS): The customs officials at Indira Gandhi International (IGI) Airport here rummaged an aircraft and recovered gold paste worth over Rs 43 lakh.

A senior customs official said that on the basis of an input received from Directorate General of Analytics and Risk Management (DGARM). Information was developed with the help of intelligence agencies, and it was found that gold in paste form was being smuggled.

"Flight no. 6E216 was rummagged on arrival from Srinagar on July 3... Earlier in the day, the aircraft was utilised for flight from Abu Dhabi to Delhi. The officers of customs during rummagging of the aircraft recovered a grey colour pouch in the pipe of a seat. The pouch was having paste substance which was suspected to be gold, and was taken for extraction purpose," the official said.

The official said that the extraction process yield 938.25 gm of gold which was appraised for tariff value of Rs. 43,33,378. The gold recovered alongwith its packing material was then seized under Section 110 of the Customs Act.

A manhunt to nab those involved has been launched by the customs department.