Mauritian woman among 5 passengers held with over 14 kg gold

In one of the biggest hauls of the smuggled gold in the recent past, the Customs department has seized total 14.25 kg gold collectively valued at Rs 3.55 crore from different passengers at Mumbai International airport overnight and arrested five, including four women.

"The customs officials have recovered eight gold bars each weighing one kg from a couple, who landed at the Chhatrapati Shivaji international airport in an Emirates flight last night," an official with Air Intelligence Unit (AIU) of the Customs told PTI.

Accused Shaikh Sarfaraz Latif was arrested with four kg gold, while his wife Shaikh Kahekashan Sarfaraz was found with as much quantity of the yellow metal. The value of the gold, seized from the couple, who belong to an affluent family in south Mumbai's Colaba, is Rs 1.99 crore, the officer added.

In another case, 27 gold bars of 10 grams each collectively weighing 3.148 kg and worth Rs 78.33 lakh, were recovered from a female passenger identified as Fazlatunnisa Mohammed Rehman, who arrived here from Dammam, the capital of the Eastern Province of Saudi Arabia, on a Jet flight.

The Customs officers also recovered four cut pieces of gold bars collectively weighing 1.99 kg and valued at Rs 49.71 lakh from a lady passenger- Amirah Bibi, a Mauritius citizen, who arrived here from Kaula Lampur by Malindo Air flight.

In yet another case, nine gold bars of 10 grams each and one more bar weighing five grams with collective value of Rs 27.56 lakh were seized from a lady passenger Tajwar Harim, who arrived here from Dammam on a Jet flight. The accused, who moves on a wheel chair, is a six-month pregnant and concealed the yellow metal in a sanitary napkin she wore.

All the passengers were arrested and the gold was seized on the intervening night of Friday and Saturday, APS Suri, Commissioner of Customs, said.

"It was a commendable job done by the AIU. Smugglers have been roping in burqa-clad women, accompanied by husbands and children, as agents to carry the consignments," Suri told PTI.

"However, our officers are putting their best efforts and leaving no stone unturned to combat the smuggling of the precious metal," he added.