Cartoon illustration of customs officials at Chennai International Airport escorting a suspected passenger to an x‑ray screening room to check for internally concealed contraband such as gold or narcotics as part of an airport security investigation.
About 2.5kg of 24-carat gold worth ₹4 crore was seized from five smugglers — an x-ray technician engaged by the customs department on contract, two smugglers of Sri Lankan origin, and two havildars, Arun and Karthik.
The officers said they caught Arun helping the two evade detection. If they were intercepted, Arun would take them to the x-ray room and arrange a fake report to mislead the customs officer on duty,” a DRI source said. They were arrested and remanded in judicial custody. Passengers intercepted at Chennai airport on suspicion of carrying contraband are usually subjected to x-ray screening for internal concealment if searches of their baggage and clothing yield nothing suspicious. Such x-ray reports can establish the concealment of contraband — including gold and narcotics — and are used as evidence during trial. Acting on a tip-off regarding collusion between customs staff and smuggling cartels, DRI officers kept watch at Chennai airport and intercepted two passengers who had arrived from Sri Lanka on a SriLankan Airlines flight. They were allegedly carrying gold paste concealed in their rectum. During inquiry, DRI officials arrested Karthik and the contractual x-ray staffer. “Karthik, who was posted outside the airport, was in touch with the smuggling cartels. He alerted Arun, who was posted at the customs channels in the arrival terminal, about passengers arriving with gold.