2 including Sri Lankan national arrested with gold worth Rs 4 crore at Mumbai airport

New Delhi (IANS). Two accused, including a Sri Lankan national, have been apprehended for allegedly smuggling gold worth Rs 4 crore at the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport, a CISF official said on Tuesday.

The CISF official said that the accused were nabbed at 4:15 pm on Tuesday. An official said that CISF surveillance and intelligence staff of Terminal-2 of the airport noticed suspicious movements of two passengers who were loitering near boarding gate number 46 of Level 3 of domestic departure. He was kept under electronic as well as physical surveillance.

During surveillance, it was observed that one of them picked up a black bag from the floor near Boarding Gate No. 46 on Level 3 of the airport. On suspicion, the passengers were stopped by the CISF staff for questioning.

The official said the passengers were identified as Mohd Hiras and Mohd Rusaith (Sri Lankan). He was about to travel from Mumbai to Bangalore by Air India flight. During questioning, he admitted that the bag was thrown by an international transit passenger from Boarding Gate No. 46 located in Level 4 International Boarding Gates area.

There is a gap between level 4 and level 3 and that international passenger used that gap to throw the bag. The captured passengers confirmed that the bag contained 23 pieces of oval-shaped yellow metal. They weigh around 8800 grams and were wrapped with black tape to hide them.

Later, both the passengers were handed over to the AIU/Customs authorities along with 23 oval shaped yellow metal articles weighing approximately 8800 gms worth approximately Rs.4 crores for further action in the matter.