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Indian customs officers have arrested a man, who came from Singapore, after he was found smuggling 12 gold bars by hiding them in his rectum. The 36-year-old accused, who is of Indian origin, arrived at Hyderabad's Rajiv Gandhi International Airport via Tigerair flight on 12 January.

According to media reports, customs officers became suspicious when they noticed several LED lamps in his checked-in luggage. They conducted a search following which eight gold bars, each weighing about 100g, were found from the lamps' back covers.

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The man, who said that he was not carrying any more gold, was forced to go through a metal detector, which revealed he had another 12 gold bars, weighing 1.2kg in total, in his rectum. According to an Air Intelligence Unit official, the total gold that was seized was worth S$126,000, reported New Indian Express.

Body packing or body stuffing is a common way of smuggling goods across international borders. Illegal items are often hidden in anatomical cavities such as the mouth, rectum, intestine, ear and even vagina.

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