tamil-nadu

Updated: Aug 04, 2019 08:58 IST

A Malaysian national was arrested with diamonds worth Rs 2.25 crore by Air Intelligence Unit (AIU) officials at Chennai International Airport on Saturday.

Acting on a tip-off regarding the smuggling of precious stones from Malaysia, a team of AIU officials maintained a vigil at the airport from Friday to Saturday morning.

The team stopped a man who was walking hurriedly towards the exit of Customs arrival hall in a suspicious manner. The team stopped Azmal Khan Bin Nagor Mera (48) who had arrived from Kuala Lumpur.

On being questioned, he gave evasive replies raising suspicion. The officials searched him and his baggage and recovered two white bundles concealed inside his inner-wear.

Further, the team searched his checked-in luggage and found eight bundles of diamonds inside a multi-function cooker. “On cutting the 10 bundles, totally 55 white mini ziplock pouches in which precious stones appearing to be diamonds were found concealed and same were recovered,” said AIU in a press release.

When the officials quizzed him as to who the diamonds were to be delivered, the Malaysian said that he was supposed to hand it over to an unknown person outside the airport.

The said receiver would identify him out the airport, the man added.

The Malaysian was taken out of the airport and was watched from a distance but no one approached him to receive the consignment.

A government-approved valuer certified the stones to be diamonds of different cut, shapes, clarity, colour, totally weighing 2996 carat and valued at Rs 2.25 crore.

The diamonds were seized under the Customs Act and the passenger was arrested.

(This story has been published from a wire agency feed without modifications to the text. Only the headline has been changed.)