In Lucknow on November 1, authorities apprehended a passenger and two accomplices at Chaudhary Charan Singh International Airport. They were found in possession of 1.60 kilograms of gold, concealed within three capsules hidden in the passenger's rectum.
The passenger successfully exited the international terminal (T1) despite the customs officials failing to detect the concealed gold. The identified individual, Raju Kumar Shah, hailing from Gopalganj, Bihar, had arrived from Dubai late at night on October 28. After clearing customs, he departed from T1 around 12:30 a.m. on October 29, where he was met by his two associates, Mustafa Raza and Mohammad Hussain, both from Nagaur district in Rajasthan.
An anonymous source had alerted authorities to the continuous visits of two individuals to the airport, particularly during the arrivals of international flights. Consequently, on Saturday night, when Mustafa Raza and Mohammad Hussain arrived in the T1 area, authorities began monitoring their movements. One of the suspects opened his mobile phone's picture gallery, seemingly to identify the courier they were supposed to take to Delhi by bus. As the three met and started heading toward the parking area, Constable Sandeep Kumar and Sub-Inspector (SI) Jag Prasad from the airport police outpost apprehended them.
Initially, no suspicious items were found in the courier's luggage. However, the fact that two suspects were from Rajasthan and one from Bihar, who had never met before, prompted further questioning. During interrogation, the courier admitted to concealing gold within his rectum and successfully leaving T1 without detection.
Mustafa Raza revealed that he had visited the airport 12 times in October to receive various couriers. Following consultation with their superiors, the three individuals were handed over to the customs department for legal proceedings.
Meanwhile, SHO Shailendra Giri of Sarojini Nagar expressed his astonishment at how a passenger with over one kilogram of gold concealed in his rectum managed to leave T1, eluding the customs authorities' detection.
A.N. Haqq, the Assistant Commissioner of Customs at Lucknow airport, explained that detecting gold concealed in this manner is challenging. Conventional metal detectors do not effectively identify such concealed items. Instead, customs officers rely on profiling passengers to assess their ability to fund air travel. In most cases, couriers claim to be returning from the Middle East for tourism, which is often untrue. Gold couriers are typically apprehended only when the value of the gold exceeds Rs 50 lakh; otherwise, the gold is confiscated, and the courier is allowed to leave after the necessary documentation.
