India’s Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) on Thursday (May 30) said they have detained an air hostess for allegedly smuggling nearly one kilogram of gold from Muscat to Kannur by hiding it in her rectum. Surabhi Khatun, a native of Kolkata, was detained on May 28 as she landed at the Kannur International Airport.
News agency Press Trust of India (PTI) quoted a DRI official as saying it is the first case in India where an airline crew has been arrested for smuggling gold by hiding it inside rectum.
Following her detention, necessary formalities were completed and Surabhi was duly interrogated. After that, she was produced before the jurisdictional magistrate and subsequently remanded to 14 days to a women’s prison in Kannur.
It is suspected that Surabhi may have smuggled gold in a similar fashion in the past, as suggested by investigators and evidence collected by them.
As per sources, the involvement of a Kerala-based smuggling gang is also suspected, and further investigation is underway.
Separate incident
The Customs Air Intelligence Unit (AIU) at Cochin International Airport (CIAL) on Wednesday (May 29) busted another smuggling attempt, seizing 560.05 grams of foreign-origin gold worth around Rs 38 lakh ($45,500). The gold was seized under the Customs Act, 1962.
The authorities didn’t reveal how many people were arrested.
Another passenger aboard flight IX-434 from Dubai was arrested having 219.9 grammes of gold wrapped in transparent tape.
Source: wionews.com
