Officials of the Air Intelligence Unit of the Customs Department seized 283 grams gold from a passenger at the Biju Patnaik International Airport here on Friday.
The gold was estimated to be worth around `10 lakh.
Suspecting the movement of a passenger, who arrived at the airport from Bangkok by an Air Asia flight, the sleuths searched him thoroughly and found the gold from his shirt buttons.
“Acting on spot intelligence, officers of Air Intelligence Unit, BPIA intercepted a passenger of Indian origin hailing from Kolkata, who had arrived from Bangkok by Air Asia flight No FD-112 on Thursday. Search of his hand baggage led to recovery of silver-coated metal rings made of gold of foreign origin tactfully concealed in the buttons of garments. The gold collectively weighed 283.240 grams having purity of 99.9% and valued at Rs 9, 83, 409 lakh,” Assistant Commissioner of Customs, BBI Airport, BB Pattanaik said.
The smuggled gold was seized under the Customs Act, 1962. Further investigation was on into the incident, the official added.
Earlier on February 19, gold weighing 959.990 grams and valued at over Rs 33.16 lakh had been seized from a woman passenger at the airport. The woman, a resident of Maharashtra, had arrived at the airport by an Air India flight from Delhi.
With many other such incidents in the past, the city airport seems to have turned a haven for smuggling of gold since it began flight operations to Bangkok more than a year ago.