Gold bars worth Rs 35 lakh seized at Biju Patnaik International Airport

Bhubaneswar: A day after three gold bars and 143 gold rings were seized at the Biju Patnaik International Airport (BPIA) in Bhubaneswar, as many as 15 gold bars weighing 1143.78 grams worth Rs 34.90 lakh were recovered at the city airport.

The gold bars were seized from two passengers by the Air Intelligence unit of the Customs Department.

Acting on spot intelligence, officers intercepted two passengers of Indian origin hailing from Punjab who arrived from Bangkok via Kuala Lumpur by Air Asia flight AK-31 on the intervening night of 28th/29th March, a release of the department said.

On conducting the body search, 15 pieces of yellow metal bars wrapped with black adhesives were recovered from their rectum, the release added.

Notably, the Air Intelligence unit of the Customs Department had on Wednesday seized gold bars and ornaments worth over Rs 12 lakh from two passengers who arrived at the Biju Patnaik International Airport here from Bangkok.

The Customs officials had seized three gold bars and 143 gold rings having a combined weight of 378 gm from the two passengers who are natives of Thane in Maharashtra.