"Mayur Rohira hid it in his rectum."
A 22-year-old Indian man was arrested for smuggling gold in his rectum. A 66-year-old woman was also arrested for acting as an accomplice.
They were both caught at Sri Guru Ram Dass Jee International Airport, Amritsar, Punjab, having arrived from Dubai.
Following their arrests, the airport’s Customs Department called it a success in the ongoing fight against illegal gold smuggling operations.
The woman was identified as Hari Jethani, while the man was named as Mayur Rohira. Both were originally from Gujarat.
It was revealed that Jethani and Rohira had been suspected by Customs officers, however, the investigation initially proved to be difficult.
After an in-depth investigation, officers were able to trace where the gold was being concealed.
Both had concealed the contraband in a piece of rubber. Jethani hid the gold under her clothes while Rohira decided to hide the gold in his rectum.
Customs commissioner Dipak Kumar Gupta said:
“Hari Jethani was found hiding the gold in her innerwear which was wrapped in blue adhesive tape and Mayur Rohira hid it in his rectum.
“This is the first time when the gold has been detected in a rubber form.”
He added that the two suspects took a new approach in order to smuggle the gold.
After the gold was recovered, it was revealed that it weighed 664 grams.
The gold had been mixed with a melted synthetic rubber as well as various other chemicals so that it would be in a semi-solid paste form.
Officers found that the gold was worth approximately Rs. 26 Lakh (£28,000).
Commissioner Gupta explained that once the gold was recovered, both the elderly woman and Indian man were arrested.
He went on to say that both smugglers are being questioned. Officers have come up with two possibilities.
They suspect that they had tried to bring the gold into Amritsar at their own risk or that they are couriers for a large-scale smuggling operation.
Police have said that they will know once the investigation gathers more evidence.
Officers believe that it was a well-planned conspiracy as the gold had been hidden in rubber form. They have said that they may be part of a large operation which focuses on smuggling gold.
Commissioner Gupta added that a case was registered under the Customs Act of 1962 and that more information will be known as the investigation goes on.
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