3.6 kg of gold bar wrapped in the black tape was recovered from the technician (Representational)
A Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) official on Tuesday arrested an air-conditioning technician at the Trivandrum International Airport and seized 9.9 kilograms of gold bars worth approximately Rs 3 crore.
The accused, employed with MJ Property Maintenance Service Private Limited, has been identified as Annesh Kumar.
Assistant Sub-Inspector Vikas Raj, deployed at the staff gate of the airport, on suspicion called the accused for body-frisking but he ignored the call and walked inside the terminal building.
While returning, he was seen dropping something in a dustbin nearby.
During frisking, 3.6 kg of gold bar wrapped in the black tape was recovered from him. CISF personnel then checked the dustbin and recovered an additional 3.15 kilograms of gold bar.
He later also disclosed that he had dropped one more parcel of 3.15 kgs gold bars in a dustbin placed at aerobridge-25, which was also retrieved from the dustbin by the CISF personnel.
On further questioning, the accused revealed that he had collected the gold packets at aerobridge-25 of international terminal building from a passenger, who had arrived from Dubai by Emirates Airlines flight.
The accused also revealed that he was supposed to hand over the gold to the passenger outside the airport premises.
The technician was handed over to the airport's customs officials and the gold bars as well.
Further investigation in this regard is underway.