The Air Intelligence Unit of Mumbai Customs seized 4.78 kg of gold worth Rs 1.19 crore. (Representational image)
The Air Intelligence Unit (AIU) of Mumbai Customs today detected five cases of gold smuggling at the Chatrapati Shivaji international airport and seized 4.78 kg of gold worth Rs 1.19 crore.
"These five cases were detected in the intervening night of September 21 and September 22," said AIU Additional Commissioner Milind Lanjewar.
In the first case, the Customs intercepted Bansi Kothari who arrived from Bangkok. Officials recovered 5 gold bars of 100 grams each valued at around Rs 12.48 laks which was concealed inside her clothes.
In another case, four people were arrested for smuggling three kilograms of gold worth Rs 74.89 lakhs.
The official said that they initially intercepted passenger Aminahtuz Amri who had arrived from Kulalumpur and recovered two gold bars of one kilogram each.
"On interrogation, Amri showed the picture of a person on her mobile, who was waiting outside the arrival to receive her. Customs officials later nabbed one Rajanish Tripathi who had come to receive Amri," Mr Lanjewar said.
Later it was revealed by Mr Tripathi that there was another passenger on the same flight and the officials shortly intercepted Mangana Vasu and her accomplice Mohammed Ashraf.
All the four people were arrested.
In the third case the officials' intercepted passenger Noorjahan Shaikh who had arrived from Dubai and recovered three gold bars weighing 349 grams worth Rs 8.71 lakhs.
The officials also said, in other two cases, the sleuths recovered gold from two passengers coming from Dubai and Muscat and recovered around 1000 grams of gold from them.