The Air Intelligence Unit of the customs department today arrested 21 people at the international airport here who were involved in a bid to smuggle 5 kg gold bars worth Rs 1.70 crore into the country.
All of them belonged to Tanda village in Rampur district of Uttar Pradesh and were allegedly acting as carries for a Lucknow-based gold smuggling syndicate, an official said.
"We intercepted 21 people, who came to Mumbai from Saudi Arabia, carrying 5.665 kg of gold bars valued at Rs 1.70 crore. They were carriers for a Lucknow-based gold smuggling syndicate," he said.
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"All of them were arrested and subsequently released on bail," the official said, adding the gold bars were concealed in bottles being carried by them.
According to the official, the Air Intelligence Unit (AIU) also seized 2.3 kg of gold, valued at Rs 69 lakh, from two persons at the airport last night in two separate cases of smuggling.
In the first case, AIU sleuths intercepted one Hameed Shaikh who had arrived here from Dubai via Muscat, the official said, adding "On searching him, 1.8 kg gold worth Rs 55 lakh was seized. Following this he was arrested."
Another passenger, Muslim Yaseen Mohammed Ali, a Sudanese businessman, had arrived from Khartoum in Sudan via Riyadh. On searching him, 500 grams of gold worth Rs 14 lakh was seized, the official said.
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