One held at Chennai airport for smuggling gold worth Rs 35.5 lakh

Chennai, Dec 4 (IANS) The Chennai Air Customs on Friday said that it has arrested an air passenger from Dubai at the airport here on charge of gold smuggling after contraband valued at Rs 35.5 lakh was seized from him and a co-passenger.Based on intelligence that gold was likely to be smuggled from Dubai, Syed Abuthahir, 37, of Chennai and Jahubarali Abdul Kader, 54, of Ramanathapuram were intercepted when they landed here from Dubai by an Indigo flight on Thursday, said Commissioner of Customs, Chennai International Airport.During a personal search, they were found to have concealed three bundles each of gold paste weighing a total of 854 gm gold. A total of 706 gm gold of 24K purity and valued at Rs 35.5 lakh was recovered and seized under the Customs Act.Kader was arrested as he had an earlier offence registered against him.
--IANS vj/tsb