Ahmedabad: Four women were detained at Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport by the Customs Department’s Air Intelligence Unit (AIU) on Sunday for allegedly attempting to smuggle nearly 945.5 grams of 24-carat gold jewellery into India. Officials said the jewellery had been coated with rhodium to mask its appearance and was valued at around Rs 1.52 crore in the market.

According to a customs release, AIU officers became suspicious after baggage scanning images raised alerts. A detailed inspection of passengers arriving from Jeddah to Ahmedabad led to the recovery of seven rhodium-plated gold chains and seven gold bangles, totalling 945.57 grams of high-purity gold. Authorities believe the coating was used to avoid detection.

Investigators said the gold was allegedly handed over to the women by a travel agent who was travelling with them. The seized items have been confiscated under the Customs Act, 1962, and further investigations are underway.

Man caught with gold hidden in mouth

In another case, customs officials intercepted a man on Saturday who had allegedly concealed gold inside his mouth while returning from abroad. Officers recovered 108 grams of gold, valued at approximately Rs 17.93 lakh.

The AIU stopped the passenger, who had arrived from Bangkok to Ahmedabad on January 31, based on profiling. During examination, officials found capsule-shaped gold bars wrapped in black adhesive tape hidden in his mouth. The gold was seized, and officials believe the method was used to bypass security checks. DeshGujarat