Bengaluru, October 18: Custom officials at the Kempegowda International Airport in Bengaluru apprehended a 41-year-old man from Kerala who arrived from Dubai on Saturday, October 14 with a pasta maker fitted with gold rods worth Rs 35.3 lakh. The machine was placed inside his checked-in baggage.

According to a report in TOI, the passenger travelled in Indigo Airline was allegedly carrying gold concealed in a pasta-making machine. The officials found the rods of the pasta making machine suspicious and cut open them to find five small cylindrical rods of crude gold inside. The gold, weighing 598 grams, has been seized by the custom officials. Gold Weighing 31.7 Kg Worth Rs 19 Crore Seized in Pan-India Operation, 11 Arrested.

The incident took place at 4 am on Saturday when the man landed at terminal 2 of KIA. The officials apprehended him as he was behaving in a suspicious manner. After scanning the machine the custom officials five gold rods hidden inside the device. Nagpur: Flyer Hides Gold Worth Over Rs 2 Crore in Coffer Maker Machine, Caught by Customs Officers (See Pics).

The gold was allegedly placed inside the pasta maker by specialists in the Gulf, who are part of an international gold-smuggling ring with strong links to Kerala.

The man was arrested and further probe is on to find out if the man from Kasaragod a part of the smuggling gang or just a carrier operating for a fee.

This comes days after a 34-year-old Mumbai-based man was arrested by the Custom officials from Terminal 2 of Mumbai’s Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport while allegedly smuggling gold from abroad by concealing it in his undergarments.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Oct 18, 2023 11:36 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).