Chennai Air Customs officials busted a new modus operandi of gold smuggling where domestic passengers (to avoid suspicion) are collecting the gold that is ingeniously hidden in International flights.
According to officials, they rummaged flight 6E-66, which had arrived from Dubai on suspicion of gold smuggling. Five rectangular pieces wrapped in black adhesive tape and tied with a thread along with a metal piece were found concealed in the hollow pipe portion of one of the seats.
On being cut open, 10 gold bars of 10 tolas with foreign markings, totally weighing 1.16 kg and valued at Rs. 57.1 lakhs were recovered.
As is common with domestic airlines, within a short span, the same International flight (6E-66), later operated on the domestic Chennai-Guwahati route as 6E627. During the return flight, this aircraft had flown back to Chennai as flight 6E623.
Mohabath Khan, 56, of Kancheepuram who traveled from Guwahati to Chennai on the same seat from which the gold was…