Two caught with 28kg of gold paste at Surat airport
CISF
) thwarted a gold smuggling attempt at the Surat international airport on Sunday and seized 28kg of gold paste, which two passengers from Dubai had allegedly concealed on their bodies.
The paste is estimated to contain 23kg of gold, worth about Rs 23 lakh. The customs department is yet to declare the exact amount of gold recovered and its value.
After the arrival of Air India Flight IX-174 from Dubai, a CISF soldier monitoring the international arrivals area got suspicious of two passengers who had disembarked at about 10pm. Their unusual behaviour prompted the CISF vigilance team to conduct a thorough examination of their belongings.
Working with customs officers, the CISF team discovered the gold paste, ingeniously concealed on the bodies of the two individuals. The gold paste method is commonly used by smugglers to evade detection.
Customs officials launched an investigation to uncover the broader network behind this smuggling attempt. The identities of the passengers have not been disclosed as the investigation is ongoing. The accused will likely be produced in court on Tuesday. The process to recover the gold from the paste is underway.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Hindu
18 minutes ago
- The Hindu
Tangedco foreman held on bribery charges near Katpadi
A 50-year-old Tangedco foreman at Virinchipuram village near Katpadi in Vellore was arrested by sleuths of Directorate of Vigilance and Anti-Corruption (DVAC) for demanding and taking a bribe of Rs 3,000 to provide new electricity connection. DVAC sources said that the complainant V. Echhappan (67), a driver, and his family had been living in Vellore. He has built a house in Virinchipuram village recently. He decided to get a new domestic power connection to his house. Accordingly, he paid a deposit amount and other charges of Rs 27,000 to Tangedco through online payment. Subsequently, Echhappan visited the Tangedco office in the village with the receipt and requested the S. Kirubakaran (50), foreman at Tangedco office, to install Tangedco poles to provide new electricity connection to his house. Echhappan told DVAC officials that Kirubhakaran allegedly demanded a sum of Rs 3,000 for the purpose. Unwilling to pay the bribe, Echhappan lodged a complaint with the DVAC. A seven-member team led by K. Sankar, Deputy SP, DVAC (Vellore), and Inspector S. Mythili laid a trap and caught Tangedco foreman Kirubakaran. A case has been registered against him. Later, he was arrested and lodged at Central Prison in Vellore.
The Hindu
18 minutes ago
- The Hindu
Burglars decamp with 60 gold sovereigns, silver objects, Rs 1.5 lakh cash in Ranipet
Burglars decamped with 60 sovereigns of gold jewellery, silver objects and Rs 1.5 lakh cash from a house of a leather tannery staff at Musiri village near Walajah town in Ranipet on Friday. Police said that the victim, K. Elagovan (33), works in a tyre manufacturing company in Sriperumbudur. He was living with his wife, two children and parents in a single-storey house in the village. Initial inquiry revealed that Elagovan returned home around 2 a.m from work. He went to the first floor of the house where his family members and parents were sleeping. Sometime later, Elagovan's father, got up and came down to the ground floor of the house when he saw three persons running away from the house. As Kasi raised the alarm, other family members and neighbours rushed. They found cup boards on the ground floor of the house broken and valuables looted. Immediately, residents alerted Kaveripakkam police, who came to the spot with sniffer dogs. A case was registered. Special teams were formed to nab the suspects. Police are also analysing CCTV footage on the route. A probe is underway.
News18
27 minutes ago
- News18
UP Police seeks custody of kingpin Harsh Vardhan Jain in fake embassy case
Ghaziabad/Lucknow, Jul 25 (PTI) Police in Ghaziabad has moved an application seeking the remand of Harsh Vardhan Jain, the alleged mastermind behind bogus 'embassies', who was arrested and sent to jail earlier this week for fraud and other offences. A senior police officer, speaking on condition of anonymity, told PTI on Friday that the application for Jain's police custody has been filed and is likely to be heard by the court on Monday. 'Beyond routine investigation, police are also looking into Jain's liaisoning network. His association and photographs with international arms dealer Adnan Khashoggi have surfaced during the preliminary probe," the officer said. 'Authorities suspect there may be a counter-intelligence angle involved, and several incriminating documents have been recovered," the officer added. Jain's elaborate racket was busted by the Special Task Force (STF) and the case is now being investigated by Ghaziabad Police. The STF is assisting the local police in pursuing the case. Meanwhile, the police also took note of a purported 'official statement" issued by 'Westarctica" on Friday in which the micronation (a self-declared entity but unrecognised officially) distanced itself from Jain. 'Jain was an authorised representative engaging in unauthorized activities," the statement from 'Westarctica" said, clarifying that while Jain held the honorary title of 'Honorary Consul to India" after making a donation in 2016, he was 'never granted ambassadorial status". Founded in 2001 by former US Navy intelligence analyst Travis McHenry, 'Westarctica" functions primarily as an environmental advocacy nonprofit registered in the US, with tax-exempt status since 2018. 'Although they have issued a statement but its status as a nation is unrecognised therefore the statement holds zero value for us. However, we are getting it legally vetted for further perusal," the police officer, involved in the probe, told PTI. On Tuesday, the STF had raided Jain's rented bungalow in Ghaziabad's Kavinagar area and uncovered a fake embassy setup. The STF recovered Rs 44.7 lakh in cash, multiple foreign currencies, fake diplomatic passports, 18 forged diplomatic number plates, and seals purportedly from the Ministry of External Affairs and firms in 34 countries. STF officials revealed that Jain had previously established over a dozen companies in Europe, allegedly used to facilitate hawala operations in collaboration with international associates, including Hyderabad-born Turkish citizen Ehsan Ali Syed – now jailed in Switzerland for fraud. Jain had also styled himself as an ambassador to other fictitious entities like 'Saborga", 'Paulovia" and 'Lodonia", allegedly defrauding individuals under the pretense of offering overseas jobs and visas. PTI KIS ZMN view comments First Published: July 25, 2025, 21:15 IST Disclaimer: Comments reflect users' views, not News18's. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
