Woman caught at Kochi airport with gold worth Rs 36 lakh concealed in Nivea crème

A woman arrived in Kerala with gold concealed in a tub of Nivea cream (Image credit: ANI/X)

A woman was intercepted with undeclared gold worth Rs 36 lakh at Kochi airport on January 11. According to Cochin Customs, the woman had concealed four gold rods inside a tub of Nivea cream, which she hid inside a shoe in her checked-in baggage.

Customs officials acted on information received from customs special intelligence and intercepted the woman as she arrived at Kochi from Rome, Italy. The woman was trying to pass through the green channel, meant for people who do not have any dutiable goods to declare, when she was intercepted.

According to news agency ANI, “on scanning her checked-in baggage, a suspicious image was noticed.” Further inspection revealed a tub of Nivea crème in which four gold rods weighing 640 grams were hidden.

On January 11, based on intelligence forwarded by customs special intelligence a female pax who came from Rome to Cochin was intercepted at the green channel by the officers of the AIU batch. On scanning her checked-in baggage, a suspicious image was noticed. On detailed… pic.twitter.com/DxzY9eGgDp

— ANI (@ANI) January 12, 2024

“On detailed examination of the said baggage, 4 nos of crude gold rods in circular shape were found concealed inside a packet of Nivea creme which was kept concealed inside a shoe. The gold weighing 640 gms of Rs 36.07 lakhs was recovered and seized,” ANI said.

While the gold has been seized, further investigations are underway to determine the woman’s role in the gold smuggling operation.

In October 2023, a Kerala man was caught with gold bars hidden inside a pasta maker. A few months before that, an Indigo passenger was caught at Bengaluru airport with gold worth nearly Rs 70 lakh hidden in his slippers.