Passengers carry gold worth Rs 1.21 crore in rectum, arrested at Delhi airport

After the extraction process, one uneven-shaped gold bar weighing 917.3 grams and having a tariff value of Rs 59.81 lakh was recovered one of the passengers. (Representational Image).

Two men were arrested by customs officials at Delhi airport for allegedly smuggling gold worth Rs 1.21 crore into the country by concealing it in their rectum, according to an official statement issued on Thursday. The accused, who had arrived from Jeddah, were arrested in separate cases.

One of the men was intercepted on his arrival on Tuesday, the statement said. "During personal and baggage search of the passenger, three oval shaped capsules containing yellow coloured chemical paste wrapped in transparent rubbery material, suspected to contain gold, were recovered which were concealed by the passenger in his rectum," the customs department said in the statement.

After the extraction process, one uneven-shaped gold bar weighing 917.3 grams and having a tariff value of Rs 59.81 lakh was recovered from the passenger, it said. In the other case, the passenger was intercepted after his arrival from Jeddah on Monday.

He was suspected of carrying foreign-origin gold and intercepted by customs officials, another statement said. "During personal and baggage search of the passenger, three oval shaped capsules suspected to contain gold in chemical paste form were recovered from the body of the passenger (excreted from rectum by himself) which, after extraction of metal, resulted into recovery of gold collectively weighing 981.34 grams approx," it said.

Both the accused were arrested and the gold, weighing 1.89 kg approximately and worth around Rs 1.21 crore, was seized.

This is not the first time when passengers have smuggled gold into the country and hidden them in unusual places. In October last year, a woman was arrested at Mumbai airport for carrying gold worth Rs 1.6 crore in bra.