US$1m gold stash found in plane toilet
Print Edition
An Indian airplane cleaning crew stumbled across 24 gold bars worth over US$1 million stashed in an aircraft toilet compartment, officials said yesterday.
India has witnessed a sharp rise in gold smuggling since import duties were hiked three times this year to dampen demand for the precious metal.
The plane, belonging to private carrier Jet Airways, was being cleaned at the Kolkata airport on Tuesday after a trip from the eastern city of Patna. The plane had been travelling from Bangkok, officials said.
“The cleaning staff of the airport were going though their routine duties and found two bags in the toilets of the plane,” director of the airport BP Mishra said.
The 24 one-kilogram gold bars “have not been claimed by anyone. No arrest has been made,” senior customs official RS Meena said.
Meena estimated the value of the haul at about 70 million rupees, or US$1.1 million.
Gold is hugely popular in India, especially during religious festivals and wedding seasons. Indians also buy gold in the form of jewelry, bars and coins as a hedge against inflation.
Smuggling of gold through the airport has risen as the hike in the import duty of gold has made the metal costlier.
Last month, intelligence officials recovered gold worth 95 million rupees from the toilet of a plane after it landed in the southern city of Chennai en route to New Delhi from Dubai. Four Sri Lankan nationals were held on smuggling charges.
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