83-year-old caught smuggling gold worth Rs 20 lakh at Mumbai International Airport

Gold bars recovered from the 83-year-old

The Customs Air Intelligence Unit (AIU) at Mumbai Chhatrapati Shivaji International airport caught an 83-year-old man trying to smuggle gold in the country on Wednesday.

The passenger, identified as Harjinder Singh Chhabra, was found carrying 676 gms of gold bars worth Rs 19.7 lakhs. He was flying from Dubai.

The octogenarian visited the washroom of the immigration area, following which a staffer found gold bars concealed in a tissue box inside the cabin.

Statement from the customs department with additional details is awaited.

Last month, a woman identified as Farhath Unnisa was caught smuggling gold worth Rs 64 lakh. She had concealed 2.2 kg gold in her undergarments while travelling on the Jet Airways 9W543 Dubai – Mumbai flight. The frequent flyer was intercepted by authorities on suspicion. During interrogation, she admitted to smuggling gold on behalf of a third party. She was later released on bail.