Gold bars worth over ₹2.08 crore was seized from two Indian nationals who arrived in Chennai from Singapore, the customs department said.
Acting on intel, the air intelligence wing of the Chennai Customs intercepted the passengers who arrived on Sunday.
The duo had concealed three oval-shaped capsules containing yellow-coloured paste in their body, an official said. On extraction and processing of the yellow-coloured paste, gold Ingots each weighing 924 grams and 731 grams were found.
The recovered gold was worth ₹2.08 crore in the international market and it was recovered from the two passengers.
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The gold was seized under Section 110 of the Customs Act, 1962 and the passengers were arrested, he added. Further investigation was on, the official said.
Chennai International Airport joint commissioner (customs) K M Guru Rajesh cautioned the public against smuggling syndicates that lure travellers with free or sponsored trips and easy money to carry gold or unknown items on their behalf.
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Concealing capsules inside the body is a serious offence and punishable with arrest and prosecution. The capsules also pose grave risk to life as an obstructing capsule that can cause fatal internal injury, he said.