Mumbai: The Air Intelligence Unit (AIU) of Mumbai Customs has arrested a mother and son with gold dust worth Rs 2.08 crore concealed in undergarments at Mumbai airport.According to customs, the two passengers, who arrived from Bahrain, were intercepted at the airport’s arrival hall around 9 pm during profiling by Customs officials.A personal search conducted in the presence of panch witnesses and gazetted officers led to the recovery of 24-karat gold dust concealed in white-coloured covers inside their undergarments.The seized gold dust collectively weighed 1,732 grams gross and 1,680 grams net. Its provisional value was assessed at Rs 2.08 crore by a govt-approved valuer.During the recording of their voluntary statements on Nov 4, both passengers allegedly admitted to possessing and carrying the gold. They told investigators that the gold did not belong to them and that they had transported it at the behest of another person in return for monetary consideration.Customs officials suspect that the passengers were acting as carriers for a larger smuggling network and that further investigation is required to establish the identities of the people behind the operation and trace the gold’s intended recipients.The Customs department has stated that the modus operandi could be exploited by smugglers to transport gold and other contraband, potentially causing significant financial losses to the exchequer.Both passengers were arrested on Nov 4 under Section 104 of the Customs Act, 1962, for alleged offences under Sections 135(1)(a), 135(1)(b), read with Section 135(1)(i) of the Act.
