Man tapes 33 gold bars to waist and shoes, gets caught at Hyderabad airport

The man was apprehended after customs officials saw him walking in a strange manner.

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A passenger was caught smuggling gold bars worth more than Rs 1 crore at the Rajiv Gandhi International Airport in Hyderabad on Monday. The passenger is said to have been hiding 33 gold bars in a cloth that was taped to his waist and in his shoes. This is the third case booked by customs this month, according to the New Indian Express.

According to Deccan Chronicle, the passenger, who has been identified by customs officials as Chowtipalli Suresh, arrived at the airport in Hyderabad from Singapore around 12.45 am. He reportedly tried to escape the customs officials, who caught him after they noticed that he was walking in a strange manner. On checking, they found gold in his shoes and the cloth around his waist. Suresh was apprehended by the Air Intelligence Unit.

According to officials, the gold bars reportedly weigh about 3.3 kilograms and are worth more than Rs 1 crore. A case has been registered against the man for smuggling, and he is being questioned by authorities.

There have been many incidents of gold smuggling being reported from the Hyderabad airport. Earlier this month, a man arriving from Dubai had been caught smuggling around 1 kg gold in the form of golden wire coated with silver inside a trolley bag. In April, a passenger from Doha was caught carrying gold paste in his trousers from which gold worth nearly Rs 37 lakh was extracted. In March, a passenger was caught by customs officials smuggling 349.35 grams of gold in the form of wrist watch dials, while another group of passengers from Dubai were caught smuggling 3 kilos of gold coated in aluminium.