An Indian national allegedly tried to smuggle a piece of gold by designing it as the handle of a travel bag.
The suspect has been nabbed by the Check and Inspection Centre of the Sharjah Airport.
The suspect replaced the original handle of his bag with the gold thinking he would get away with the crime, officials said. Airport officials smelt a rat on seeing the handle and on inspection, found it to be made of pure gold.
When questioned, the suspect confessed to replacing the handle as he wanted to escape from paying duty at his country’s airport. When asked how he came to design such a novel way to smuggle gold, he said his partner owns a gold shop and they designed the handle together. The police took down the details of his partner, formed an investigation team and after launching a manhunt, arrested him as well. Based on the confession of the two suspects, they have been detained and will be referred to the Public Prosecution.
The Sharjah Police have urged residents and visitors of the UAE, who travel to their countries, to settle taxes on gold after their arrival. “They should not try to smuggle or hide gold pieces to avoid paying taxes as they will be subject to legal proceedings.”
