Chennai, May 8 (PTI) Two Chinese nationals were today detained at the airport here for their alleged involvement in smuggling of gold bars weighing 40 kg worth Rs 12.6 crore, Customs department officials said.

The Air Intelligence Unit officials of the department recovered an unclaimed baggage that was kept in one of the toilets at the Anna International terminal, an official release said.

On scanning of the stroller bag, it was found that 40 units of gold bars weighing one kg each, with Chinese markings and worth Rs 12.6 crore were concealed in it, it said.

Preliminary investigations revealed that the baggage was carried by two Chinese male passengers who arrived from Hong Kong earlier that day.

Following the tight vigilance at the airport, the release said the passengers had left the baggage in a toilet and were later detained at a hotel in the city.

The details about the identities of the two accused were not revealed.

The gold bars were seized under the Customs Act, 1962 and further investigation was underway, it added.

(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body)