Malappuram: The air intelligence unit of customs seized gold worth Rs 65 lakh and foreign currency valued at Rs 7 lakh from two passengers at Kozhikode International Airport on June 10.
A case was registered against Muhammed Noorudheen from Kasaragod's Neerchal for carrying the currency without mandated documents; meanwhile, Pallathukalam Manikandan (36) from Palakkad's Konikkazhi was booked for smuggling gold.
Noorudheen was caught while attempting to smuggle currency to Dubai on an Air India Express flight. He had 4,300 US dollars and 18,000 UAE dirhams in his possession when the air customs officials from Kozhikode nabbed him. He concealed the currencies in his bag quite adeptly, sources said, to escape regular checking.
Manikandan, who arrived from Abu Dhabi on an Air India Express flight, concealed 1,182 gm of gold powder in the form of capsules inside his body. He was offered Rs 60,000 for smuggling the gold, the officials said.
