- NET Web Desk
In a bizarre incident, a passenger was held in Imphal airport, trying to smuggle gold paste by body packing them in his rectum. The Central Industrial Security Force (CISF), on September 29th, while frisking a passenger before boarding found four packets of yellow metal paste weighing 909.68 grams.
It is estimated that the recovered gold is worth nearly 49 lakhs.
The smuggling attempt came to light when sub-inspector B Dilli noticed the presence of metal inside the rectal cavity of a passenger while frisking him, read a statement released by CISF.
Mohammed Shereef, a resident of Kozikhode was on his way to board an AIR India flight to New Delhi. Sensing something wrong with the passenger the CISF personnel took him to the holding area where he was questioned.
When Shereef was put under an X-Ray machine, presence of certain metallic objects inside his body was confirmed. He had no way out but to extract the items and confess. It was found that the gold paste was encased in water proof material and inserted in the rectum.
Typically drugs or other such contraband substances are smuggled by such body packing in many countries. It seems gold smugglers in India was trying to use the same trick as well. In the month of August, three Ghanaian women were caught in Mumbai airport trying to smuggle gold biscuits by body packing them in their vagina. Each woman was carrying one-two kilos of gold in their bodies.