In four different incidents, six passengers were caught with 5.94 kg gold by Customs Department at Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport here.
On Thursday, a domestic flyer from Delhi Syed Siffath Raza and two passengers who came from Singapore - Mir Roshan Hyder and Syed Nabi Reza, were held by customs, an official statement said.
Since domestic passengers do not require custom clearance, Hyder and Reza handed over gold bars weighing one kg each to Syed Siffath Raza in the toilet so the goods were cleared without payment of duty. All the three passengers were from Alipur, Karnataka.
In the second incident, custom officials nabbed Mohammed Firoz, who also arrived here from Singapore, with five gold bars of 100 grams each. These bars were wrapped in black tape. They were recovered during the screening of his luggage, officials said.
This morning, another passenger named Sayed Roshan Ali, who arrived from Dubai, was held. Since his movement appeared suspicious, he was frisked and 2.5 kg of gold bars hidden in specially made pockets in his jeans were recovered. He also belongs to Alipur in Karnataka.
In the fourth incident, customs officials nabbed a female passenger Zaheda Begum, who arrived here from Dubai, with eight gold bars with the collective weight of 116.6 grams. These bars were wrapped in polythene bags and hidden inside her undergarments, the official release said.
According to officials, the market value of the the seized gold, weighing 5.947 kg is Rs 1.62 crore.
Further legal proceedings are under progress, said the statement.
