When we hear about gold smuggling via Kerala, it's not something to be surprised by. In actuality, it has become somewhat a of a custom that fails even to get an eyebrow raised at, but what shocks the general public every time is the method deployed by these crooks to sneak in bulks of gold trying to avoid detection. From hiding them in the underpants to over the pants situation seemingly becomes bizarrely hilarious ever time. This time around too, the Air Intelligence Unit (AIU) officials of Customs at the Kannur airport in Kerala has seized 302 grams of gold worth ₹14.69 lakh ( ₹14,69,230) on Monday morning (30 August 2021). The detained passenger was able to cover the gold in quite a novel method.
As per a
tweet by the news agency ANI, contrary to the usual jewellery or biscuit forms
that the precious metal is smuggled in, this time around, it was in paste form.
The accused was attempting to smuggle the gold as a paste that was hidden
between the layers of the pair of pants that the passenger was wearing.
Sharing the photo, news agency ANI
quoted the Customs Preventive Unit in Kochi as saying, "Air Intelligence
Unit at Kannur airport has seized 302 grams of gold in the form of a very thin
paste, concealed within the double-layered pants worn by a passenger."
The twitter
feed was ablaze with witty, sarcastic and really insightful replies once the
ANI tweet hit the social media platform. To quote a few;
‘Social media customers had been greatly
surprised through the sheer ingenuity showcased through the alleged smuggler
within the case. “What a technique!” mentioned one surprised person.’
‘“When I grow up I want to be a customs
officer in Kerala,” joked some other person.’
‘“Like the whole pant won’t go off when they
pass the metal detector. Gold is a metal, passing through any metal detector in
any form will make it go off!” one person mentioned, arguing the good judgment
in the back of this sort of transfer.’
Although the
technique seems creative and imaginative, they're not the only ones to come up
with such ludicrously astute plan. Recently, in Amritsar, a man who had arrived
from Sharjah had been arrested at the airport for allegedly looking to smuggle
in 1,894 grams of gold paste by hiding it in his underpants.
During the quest, officers discovered 1,894 grams of gold within his underwear, in sort of a paste form. On extraction, 1,600 grams of gold worth 78 lakh was recovered, according to a report published by the Customs division. Imagine the chafing he underwent to smuggle this gunk of gold! He took the phrase ‘No pain, no gain’ to its literal sense, it seems.
