Mangaluru : The officers of Customs, Mangalore International Airport seized about 2 kgs of gold valued about Rs.53 lakhs from a passenger who arrived from Dubai.

On a reasonable suspicion, the officers enquired with a passenger as to whether he possessed any dutiable items to be declared to Customs. As the passenger could not provide satisfactory reply and was incoherent while responding to the officers, his baggage was subjected to detailed examination.

The examination resulted in detection of an object coated with black metallic paint and moulded in the form of heating coil ingeniously concealed inside an iron box carried by him. The gold assayer has confirmed the object as that of pure gold of 24 carat.

On interrogation, the passenger has deposed that the he intentionally concealed the gold object to avoid detection by Customs and to evade payment of appropriate duties of Customs. Since the gold object has been smuggled into India in contravention of the provisions of the Customs Act, 1962 read with the Baggage Rules, 1998, the same weighing about 2 kgs and valued about Rs.53 lakhs was seized.

The passenger was arrested on 17.11.2015 and produced before the Principal Civil Judge (Senior Division) and Chief Judicial Magistrate, Mangalore to remand him.

Further investigation is under progress.