Gold ‘Covid sample’ seized at Hyderabad airport

Hyderabad: Customs officials at Rajiv Gandhi International Airport here on Thursday seized gold valued at Rs 1.65 crore from a passenger who arrived from Dubai.

The officials apprehended a male passenger who arrived by AI-952 from Dubai and a private employee working at the Covid Testing Centre at the airport.

According to Custom officials, the passenger handed over packets of 3.14 kg gold, in the guise of sample collection for RT-PCR. Further investigation is on.

This is the first case in which gold was tried to be smuggled as Covid sample and a Covid Testing Centre employee has been apprehended.

This is the second case of gold detection in eight days at the airport. On May 25, Customs officials had detected and seized 723.39 gm of gold, valued at Rs 37.91 lakh from two female passengers who arrived from Dubai.

The gold was concealed in the form of small rings fitted in between plastic beads of chains and bracelets which were worn by passengers.