Rs 3.6 cr gold bars seized from two buses at Kochi airport

Kochi: Thirteen kg of gold bars, valued at about Rs 3.6 crore, were seized by customs officials after they were found hidden inside two passenger ferry buses at the international airport here.

The bars, each weighing one kg, were seized from the two buses for the Spicejet flight which arrived here from Dubai, Air Intelligence Unit (AIU) officials said.

AIU acted on intelligence received and passenger profiling, and intercepted a passenger from Moovattupuzha at the exit gate after he had completed his immigration check and collected his baggage, they said.

On being questioned, he admitted that he had concealed eight gold bars beneath the last row seat in the bus. It was searched and the gold recovered, they said.

Searches were immediately conducted in all three buses carrying passengers who landed by the same flight, resulting in seizure of five kg of gold hidden in a similar manner in another bus, the officials said.