Kochi: Customs officials at Cochin International Airport Limited (CIAL) have arrested a 36-year-old Malayali passenger from Abu Dhabi after seizing nearly ₹2 crore worth of smuggled gold concealed inside a specially stitched brief worn by him.

The accused has been identified as Jamshid Edekkandi Poyil, a native of Kozhikode. He arrived at Kochi airport from Abu Dhabi on IndiGo flight 6E 1404 on Thursday morning, when he was intercepted by the Cochin Airport Customs team based on suspicion.

During the examination, Customs officials recovered gold paste concealed inside a specially stitched brief worn by the passenger. After the paste was processed and extracted by the Customs Chemical Laboratory, it was found to contain 1,246.23 grams of 24-carat gold.

Officials also recovered two 24-carat gold chains weighing a total of 100.21 grams from the passenger. The total value of the seized gold has been estimated at ₹1,97,22,653.

Following the seizure, Customs officials arrested Jamshid under the relevant provisions of the Customs Act. Further investigation is underway to ascertain the source of the smuggled gold and whether the accused was part of a larger gold smuggling network.