Mumbai
Customs officials at Mumbai’s Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International (CSMI) Airport have seized gold and diamonds worth a total of Rs 2.55 crore in separate cases in the intervening night of January 17-18. In the first case, customs officials, acting on specific information, stopped two passengers coming from Bangkok. During the investigation, officials recovered 24 carat raw gold powder (gold dust/gold particles) hidden in the internal parts of the suspects’ bodies.
The total net weight of gold seized by the authorities was 2.465 kg. Its estimated price is said to be Rs 1.80 crore. Both the passengers were detained under the provisions of the Customs Act, 1962.
In a separate incident, customs officials, acting on another specific tip-off, stopped a passenger preparing to board a Dubai-bound flight. Upon thorough investigation, officials found cut and polished diamonds hidden inside the passenger’s body.
The seized diamonds included 21.70 carat lab-grown diamonds worth Rs 5.20 lakh. There were 226.95 carats of natural diamonds, which were worth Rs 69.69 lakh. Overall, the value of the seized diamonds was Rs 74.90 lakh.
The total value of gold and diamonds seized in these cases is Rs 2.55 crore. So far, three people have been arrested in connection with these incidents. Further investigation is underway to identify any larger networks or associates involved in these cases.