Tamil Nadu: In a major operation conducted on Saturday at Trichy International Airport in Tamil Nadu, the Customs Department seized approximately 3 kilograms of gold from 20 passengers. This operation took place while the luggage of passengers arriving on a flight from Singapore was being inspected.
According to reports, Customs officials grew suspicious of passengers arriving on a flight from Singapore that landed in Trichy on Saturday morning. During routine checks, the luggage and persons of several passengers were subjected to a thorough search. During this process, officials became suspicious of one particular passenger who was found to be concealing gold in the form of a paste.
The Customs team immediately isolated the passenger and initiated an interrogation. Information that emerged during the initial questioning indicated to officials that this case was not limited to a single individual, but likely involved multiple passengers.
Consequently, the scope of the investigation was expanded, and other passengers on the same flight were also subjected to intensive searches. During the investigation, gold—concealed in a suspicious manner and packed in the form of a paste to evade detection—was recovered from several passengers.
According to the Customs Department, a total of approximately 3 kilograms of gold has been seized from 20 passengers. All passengers are currently being interrogated individually as officials attempt to determine whether an organized syndicate is operating behind this smuggling operation.
Officials stated that the gold had been concealed with extreme cunning, making it evident that this smuggling scheme was premeditated. The investigation is also focusing on tracing the origin of the gold and identifying the intended recipient in India.
Currently, all 20 passengers remain in custody, and their interrogation is ongoing; their travel records, contacts, and luggage are also being scrutinized.
The Customs Department has affirmed that it is maintaining constant vigilance regarding incidents of gold smuggling via international flights and that strict action will be taken in such cases.
Following this major operation, security and screening protocols at Trichy Airport have been further tightened to prevent similar incidents from occurring in the future.
