The Customs Department at India's Chennai Airport have held two men for smuggling 621 grams of gold worth INR 3.2 million ($43,506).
According to officials from the Customs Department, the accused have been identified as Tamim Ansari and Abdul Wahab who had arrived from Dubai.
A video shared by the customs officials shows gold paste packets concealed inside the stitching of underwear.
#GoldenUnderwear 😀@ChennaiCustoms ने #Underwear में दुबई से 621 ग्राम सोना छिपा कर लाने के आरोप में थमीम अंसारी और अब्दुल वहाब को गिरफ्तार किया है। सोने की कीमत करीब ₹32 लाख है। pic.twitter.com/9rc20l9g3f
— Jitender Sharma (@capt_ivane) January 3, 2021
Speaking to Sputnik, a Chennai Airport customs official revealed that people are trying to find new and innovative ways to fool personnel at the airport.
"From hiding it in food items to stitching gold paste packets inside their underwear to concealing it in their rectum to making gold stripes on their chocolate boxes… Our personnel at the airport are coming across new tricks every day and are alert to tackle all sort of challenges", the official said.
In October 2019, the Air Intelligence Unit (AUI) at India's Kannur Airport seized gold worth INR 3.1 million ($42,326) from a male passenger who arrived from Dubai and had hidden it in his rectum.
As per government data, a total of 2,668 kilograms of gold was seized in 2019-20, 9 percent lower than the 2,946 kg of smuggled gold detected in 2018-19.
