Flyer caught with 16 gold washers hidden in bag wheels

In a unique modus operandi to smuggle gold, the Mumbai customs intercepted a passenger arriving from Dubai while smuggling gold in the wheels of his luggage at the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport (CSMIA).

According to the customs, a passenger was intercepted which led to recovery of sixteen pieces of “washer shaped” and mercury coated gold. The round shaped gold pieces weighing 400 gram are valued at Rs 17.96 lakh.

They were concealed in wheels of two trolley bags. In the past, the customs have found smugglers concealing the metal in their footwear, mobile phones, suitcases, undergarments, clothes and even their rectums.

Smugglers keep finding newer ways to hoodwink the authorities at the airport and this method is the latest in a string of hidden-gold hijinks at the CSMIA. Sources stated that some passengers deliberately avoid paying customs duty.