A customs official was arrested Friday at the Cochin international airport for allegedly aiding smuggling of gold worth over Rs one crore, DRI sources said.
Sunil Francis, with the customs department, was allegedly handed over three gold bars weighing one kg each by a passenger upon his arrival in Kerala's Kochi from a Gulf country this morning, the sources said.
Sunil Francis was arrested while trying to escape through the exit gate of the airport, they said, adding that the passenger, the alleged carrier, has also been held.
The accused customs official was earlier put under the scanner of the DRI after he was found around the airport on his day-off, customs commissioner Sumit Kumar said.
A probe against him has begun and he may be suspended, he added.
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