Kerala man fits gold rods in pasta maker in smuggling attempt

A Kerala man was caught smuggling gold in a pasta maker (Image credit: blrcustoms/Twitter)

Customs officials at Bengaluru’s Kempegowda International Airport thwarted a gold smuggling attempt when they intercepted a passenger with the precious metal concealed inside a pasta maker machine. This is the latest in a long line of innovative methods of smuggling gold from the Gulf to Bengaluru that have recently come to light.

The Bengaluru Customs department said that officials intercepted a passenger who arrived at Kempegowda International Airport from Dubai on October 14. The man, a Kerala native, had travelled from Dubai to Bengaluru on Indigo flight 6E-1486. He was intercepted when the flight landed on Saturday.

#IndianCustomsAtWork Gold concealed in Pasta maker machine seized by Bengaluru Air Customs from a pax on 14.10.23. pic.twitter.com/QwD98MzXbk

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— Bengaluru Customs (@blrcustoms) October 14, 2023

On checking his luggage, officials found gold rods worth Rs 35.3 lakh concealed inside a pasta maker machine. The rods of the machine had been cut open and cylindrical rods of crude gold weighing 598 grams were fitted inside.

All in all, five gold rods were recovered from his possession. In a post shared on the microblogging platform X, Bengaluru Customs said the gold was recovered from his checked-in baggage.

The 41-year-old was detained and booked for gold smuggling and customs duty evasion. Investigation revealed that the gold had been placed inside the pasta maker by an international gold smuggling ring with strong links to Kerala.

Further investigations are underway to determine whether the man is a member of the gold smuggling gang or just a carrier who agreed to smuggle gold for a fee.