Mangalore, July 16: Two persons including a cleaning staff of the airport have been arrested on account of Gold smuggling scam. The gold worth over Rs 31 lakh which was found concealed in the drainage hole of the toilet of the Mangalore International Airport was seized by officials of the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence on July 15, Tuesday.
With this operation, the DRI has busted a major smuggling racket operating on the Kozhikode-Dubai-Mangalore sector. The seized gold included a gold bar weighing 1 kg and two gold pellets weighing 115 grams. The total weight of the seized gold was 1230 grams and the value put at Rs 31.64 lakhs.
The DRI officials first saw the cleaning staff Ganesh (22) enter the toilet and place his hand inside a drainage hole after removing the filter cap with holes and removing the gold bar and pellets. He was immediately arrested and on enquiry he revealed that the gold was hidden there by a passenger who had arrived by an Air India Express Flight No IX 384 from Dubai.
He also said he was asked to hand it over to one Naushad of BC Road who will be waiting at the parking area. The DRI officials, who found Naushad, immediately arrested him and he admitted the fault.
Ganesh and Naushad have been produced before the court. Further investigations are on.
