Gold worth Rs 8 crore was seized from a staffer by customs officials at the Chennai airport on Monday. Two people, the airport staffer and a transit passenger, were detained by officials in the matter.
According to the officials, acting upon intelligence, one Mohammad Barkathullah, working as customer support staff for IndiGo Airlines, was intercepted at the Chennai airport. He was searched and the gold in the form of rubbery paste was seized from him near the departure gate of the airport.
Further searches led customs officials to recover 36 pouches filled with 24 carat of gold weighing 13 kg.
The price of gold was calculated to be at Rs 8.04 crore.
The officials said that Mohammad Barkathullah had been collecting the pouches from transit passengers, flying to Colombo.
Further investigation into the matter is underway.