Bengaluru: IndiGo passenger caught smuggling gold worth Rs 69 lakh concealed in slippers

A man was intercepted at Bengaluru airport by customs officials for allegedly trying to smuggle gold worth Rs 69.4 lakh into the country about one-kilogram gold by hiding it in his rectum.

The accused who was travelling in an IndiGo flight was caught hiding four pieces of gold in the slippers he wore during his journey from Bangkok to Bengaluru.

Central Board of Indirect Taxes & Customs (CBIC) took to Instagram to share the video, which showed gold pieces coming out of specially made compartments in his slippers. The passenger came to Bengaluru by IndiGo flight 6E 76 on March 12.

Customs officers intercepted him at Bangalore airport and questioned him about the purpose of his travel. The man said he was travelling for medical reasons but was unable to provide the necessary documentation to back up his claim, raising suspicions. 

Accordingly, the passenger was put through thorough checks. On body check and scanning of his bag and slippers, the presence of gold in cut pieces form was revealed concealed in his slippers which he was wearing during travel. 

As per the CBIC, 1.2 kg of gold with a purity of 24 carats was confiscated from the IndiGo passenger. The seizure video has been seen 1.8 million times on Instagram.

"The passengers who reached Bengaluru from Bangkok on an IndiGo Airways flight were stopped for checking. A total of four pieces embedded in the false cavity of slippers were seized from them," a customs official said on Wednesday.

An Air India crew member was caught earlier this month in Kerala for attempting to carry gold under his uniform. The cabin crew member had 1.4 kg of gold wrapped around his forearms.

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