Myanmar Couple Held at Chennai Airport with Smuggled Gold Worth Rs 2.65 Crore

Customs officials at Chennai airport arrested a middle-aged couple from Myanmar on Saturday for attempting to smuggle 1.967 kilograms of gold valued at Rs 2.65 crore into the city from Bangkok.

The interception was carried out by the Air Intelligence Unit of Chennai customs after officers grew suspicious of the woman as she attempted to pass through the terminal's green channel.

When questioned by officials, the passenger initially claimed that she was visiting Chennai to undergo medical treatment. However, she was unable to present any valid medical documents to support her claim.

During interrogation, the woman admitted that she had hidden gold inside her body. Customs sleuths then recovered multiple gold pellets wrapped in adhesive tape from her possession.

Following her admission, officials subjected her husband to a physical examination. The search revealed that he had concealed two gold masses wrapped in transparent rubber pouches inside his rectum.

In total, the contraband seized from the couple weighed 1.967 kilograms and was valued at Rs 2.65 crore. The couple was arrested under the Customs Act and remanded in judicial custody.

Customs officials stated that this is the first time they have encountered Myanmar nationals being deployed to smuggle gold into the country. Investigators revealed that the couple had travelled from Rangoon to Bangkok and then departed for Chennai on the same day.

The arrest marks the second gold seizure made by customs authorities at Chennai airport within a single week, indicating a possible resurgence of gold smuggling operations through the facility.