Nedumbassery: Smuggling of gold to Kerala from Gulf countries is a lucrative affair and people engaged in this illegal activity often resort to ingenious methods.

Many of these operations are exposed only when Customs officials receive tip-offs in this regard. The latest incident occurred at the cargo terminal of the Cochin International Airport, when 2.23kg of gold was seized from a meat-cutting machine.

The machine had arrived on an Air India flight from Dubai on Saturday evening. After routine inspections at the cargo terminal, the machine was handed over to a person named Nakul, who had reached the airport to take possession of the item.

Nakul loaded the cargo on a vehicle and had passed the gate of the cargo terminal when Customs officers received a message that gold was concealed in the machine. Immediately, the Customs team chased Nakul's vehicle and blocked it.

The vehicle carrying the meat slicer was directed back to the cargo terminal and the machine subjected to a thorough examination. Soon, two gold bars weighing a kilogram each and two small gold ‘biscuits’ were recovered. Officers also took Nakul into custody.

Customs sources said that the machine was imported by Thuruthummal Enterprises, a Kochi-based firm.

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