Diamonds Worth ₹6.46 Crore Found Hidden In Noodles At Mumbai Airport, Passenger Arrested

Diamonds concealed in packets of noodles and gold hidden in body parts and baggage of passengers from the Mumbai airport were seized by the customs department recently. The seized goods were collectively valued at ₹6.46 crore.

According to details provided by an official to PTI, an Indian national travelling from Mumbai to Bangkok was intercepted and found with diamonds concealed in packets of noodles inside his trolley bag.

Diamonds Worth ₹6.46 Crore Found In Noodles

Additionally, a foreign national travelling from Colombo to Mumbai was discovered carrying gold bars and a cut piece, weighing 321 grams in total, concealed inside her undergarments, as per PTI reports. Furthermore, at least 10 Indian nationals-two each travelling from Dubai and Abu Dhabi, and one each from Bahrain, Doha, Riyadh, Muscat, Bangkok, and Singapore-were intercepted and found carrying 6.199 kg of gold valued at ₹4.04 crore. Subsequently, three of them were arrested.

In another incident, a 38-year-old employee of a fast-food restaurant named Pandian was arrested by the Air Intelligence Unit of Mumbai customs for allegedly assisting in the smuggling of gold from the Mumbai airport and handing it over to members of a smuggling racket outside for a commission. Pandian was found hiding 6 oval capsules of gold in his belt, valued around ₹1.86 crore, as reported by PTI.

According to officials, Pandian's role was to receive gold at the departure area and deliver it to members of the racket outside. The consignment was supposed to be handed over at Bandra T junction to Noorul Hasan J and Kalandar Azzarudeen, as reported by Hindustan Times.

Noorul and Kalandar, who stayed at Hotel Star in Masjid Bunder, informed officials that they worked for Anthony from Mohammad Ali Road. They received ₹3 lakh per delivery, out of which ₹1.8 lakh was paid to Pandian for aiding in the smuggling.