Mumbai: The Mumbai Airport Customs officials have arrested a 26-year-old man who allegedly took his wife to Bangkok on a tour and instead used her to smuggle gold by concealing the same in their rectum on return to India. The agency has seized gold valued at Rs 1.25 crore from the couple.
According to the Customs sources, Surat resident Mohammad Wasif Tahirali Shaikh and his wife Ruhin who had arrived from Bangkok to C.S.M.I.A, Mumbai on Tuesday were identified at the aerobridge and were intercepted after they crossed the Green Channel.
At the exit of arrival hall, an AIU officer asked them whether they were carrying any dutiable goods, contraband or gold in his baggage or in person, to which they replied in negative. Not satisfied with their answer, the personal search and subsequent x-ray screening of their body was done which resulted into total recovery of Gold Dust in Wax (06 pieces-3 pieces each) having net weight at 1530 grams provisionally valued at Rs. 1.25 crore.
The passengers had concealed the said seized goods inside their rectum. The said gold were seized under the reasonable belief that the same were being attempted to be smuggled within India in a clandestine manner and hence was liable for confiscation under the provisions of the Customs Act, agency sources said.
"In his voluntary statement Mohammad Wasif Tahirali Shaikh admitted that gold was smuggled by him into India without declaration to Customs authorities, through body concealment to evade payment of applicable duty. He claimed that his wife Ruhin who had also smuggled has no involvement in the matter and she has acted only as per his instructions. She did not know his intentions to smuggle gold from Bangkok and only know that they were going to Bangkok only for sightseeing," said a Customs official.
"He has further confessed that he is directly and voluntarily involved in the smuggling of gold in lieu of monetary considerations as one person Ali Bhai had promised him to give Rs 40,000 for smuggling the said gold. Mohammad Wasif Tahirali Shaikh was then placed under arrest on Wednesday," the official said.
