The Customs Department on Sunday said it had seized 8 kg of gold worth more than ₹11 crore in 14 separate cases across airports in Kerala over the past week, exposing a growing trend of organised international smuggling networks using increasingly sophisticated concealment methods.

In a statement, the department said close coordination between the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI), the Kerala Police and the Customs Department played a key role in the successful operations, which led to the arrest of nine people, including six Keralites and three natives of Tamil Nadu.

According to the department, smugglers have been using methods such as converting gold into paste or compound forms and concealing it inside specially tailored clothing, body cavities, aircraft seats and other unconventional locations to evade detection.

The department also said it had seized foreign currency worth more than ₹3 crore being smuggled in and out through airports in Kerala.

"The Department remains committed to preventing the smuggling of precious metals and protecting the country's economic interests. Investigations are continuing to identify the syndicates and financiers behind these organised smuggling operations," the statement said.

To tackle the rising number of cases, Customs formations across Kerala have significantly strengthened passenger profiling, intelligence gathering and inter-agency coordination.