Mohammed Saleem was found carrying 1.2 kg of the precious metal in his suitcase by the Air Intelligence Unit of Customs, airport officials said.
He had arrived by a private flight in the wee hours of today, they added.
In a separate incident, as many as 50 live star tortoises were found in the possession of a Malaysia-bound passenger.
They said Zaheer Hussain was arrested for allegedly trying to smuggle the tortoises by hiding them in a suitcase.
The star tortoises were handed over to the Forest Department, they added.