Lucknow

A man has been arrested by customs sleuths at Lucknow airport after he landed with Rs 20.6 lakh worth of pure gold concealed in his rectum.

The passenger had boarded IndiGo 6E 1088 flight from Dubai, landing in Lucknow three-and-a-half hours later. According to customs officials, "The gold was in the form of a paste which was wrapped in black tape in two packets. The total weight of the packets was 433 grams. After removing the tape and other impurities from gold, it weighs 397 grams."

According to a customs official, "The passenger was walking strangely when he queued up for immigration clearance. His profile did not match with a passenger who would visit Dubai for merely a tour. The metal detector further raised the suspicion. He was brought out of the queue and was interrogated."

The team recovered two packets in which pure gold was hidden in paste form. The accused passenger had concealed the packet in his rectum. "It is amazing that he travelled for more than three hours in such a way," the official said.

The passenger was arrested and presented before the chief judicial magistrate (economic offences) for judicial custody. Further investigation is under process. The smuggled gold was supposed to be taken to the National Capital Region.