Representative image showing gold biscuits.
Credit: Reuters File Photo
Indore: A Mumbai resident has been apprehended at Madhya Pradesh’s Indore airport with about 80 grams of gold coated with rhodium concealed in a mobile charger and earpods, an official said on Friday.
Acting on a tip, Customs officials recently intercepted Mohammad Arif Gama Sheikh (23) after he arrived at the Devi Ahilyabai Holkar International Airport here from Sharjah in the United Arab Emirates.
A search of his belongings led to the discovery of 80.29 grams of gold, worth about Rs 6 lakh, plated with rhodium hidden in a mobile charger and earpods, the official said.
The official said that both the equipment were found to be working.
Gold appears very shiny, resembling silver, after it is coated with rhodium. This method is often used to dodge law enforcement agencies and smuggle the yellow metal from abroad, he said.
He said a “foreign-made” laptop and two expensive mobile phones were also recovered from Sheikh.