260 grams of gold-like powder seized at Bengaluru airport; 2 passengers detained

Alert Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) personnel at Kempegowda International Airport (KIA), Bengaluru, intercepted two passengers and recovered around 260 grams of gold-like metal in powdered form, allegedly concealed inside the waistband of their trousers, on Thursday.

The incident occurred around 11.30 a.m. at Terminal 1, when the passengers were intercepted on suspicion of carrying a concealed substance.

The passengers were identified as Laxmana Devadiga and Raghavendra Devadiga, both Indian nationals. They had arrived from Bangkok on an IndiGo flight, which landed at Terminal 2 at around 10.15 a.m. They were scheduled to travel onward to Ahmedabad, departing from Terminal 1 at 1.55 p.m. A probe revealed that the duo is suspected to be mules for a gold smuggling racket.

During frisking, CISF personnel led by Sub-Inspector Deepak Kumar Mishra detected the concealed material. A detailed check in the valuable room led to the recovery of two packets containing gold-like metal in powdered form, weighing approximately 260 grams in total.

Following directions from the Shift Group Officer-in-Charge, both passengers were offloaded from the onward flight and handed over to KIA police for further legal action.

Further investigation is underway to ascertain the exact nature, purity, and value of the recovered material and the circumstances surrounding its alleged concealment.

Source: The Hindu