Gold bars weighing 400g and with a value of £10,000 were found in the stomach of a businessman

Surgeons in Delhi have recovered 12 gold bars from the stomach of an Indian businessman who was admitted to hospital complaining of vomiting and constipation.

The 63-year-old man told doctors that he had swallowed a bottle cap after a quarrel with his wife, but when doctors operated on him on April 9 they found gold bars weighing nearly 400g. Police and customs agents have confiscated the gold, worth about £10,000.

India, the world’s largest consumer of gold, has imposed strict import duties on the metal in an attempt to control the country’s surging current account deficit. The duties have prompted a huge increase in gold smuggling from countries including Sri Lanka and Thailand, as Indians seek to evade the taxes.

“This is the first time