The Indian customs have seized crude gold bangles worth Rs 7.56 lakh from a passenger at the Kozhikode airport, who had hidden the ornaments weighing 180 grams on the upper arm under the clothes. This big seizure came just a day after the customs officials seized at the Delhi Airport 5.08 lakh masks, 57 litres of hand sanitiser and 952 PPE kits bound for the US, the UK and the UAE.
Taking to Twitter, Commissionerate of Customs (Preventive), Cochin, tweeted, “AIU Kozhikode made the first seizure post reopening wherein 180 gm crude gold bangles worth ₹7.56 Lakhs worn by a passenger at the upper arm and hidden beneath the clothes were seized.”
AIU Kozhikode made the first seizure post reopening wherein 180 gm crude gold bangles worth ₹7.56 Lakhs worn by a passenger at the upper arm and hidden beneath the clothes were seized. @cbic_india pic.twitter.com/f5rwMeAclU
— Commissionerate of Customs (Preventive), Cochin (@ccphqrskochi) May 14, 2020
The Kozhikode airport has become operational in recent days after the Indian government began to bring back its nationals stranded overseas. A significant number of these stranded workers are from Kerala, who work in the Gulf region. The airport was also in the news recently after Qatar cancelled an Air India flight meant to ferry 180 passengers from Doha to Kozhikode and Thiruvananthapuram. The cancellation of the Air India flight had become hugely controversial.
On Thursday, the Delhi Customs had sensationally tweeted, “On the basis of intelligence, Air Cargo Export intercepted multiple shipments having 5.08 lakh masks, 57 ltrs of sanitiser in 950 bottles & 952 PPE kits at Courier Terminal, attempted to be exported. These goods are prohibited as per latest @dgftindia guidelines.”
Its subsequent tweet had read, “On the basis of specific intelligence, 2480 kg of raw material for masks was intercepted by Air Cargo Export. The prohibited goods as per @dgftindia guidelines were misdeclared as packing material for pouch & were being illegally attempted to be smuggled/ exported to China.”