KOZHIKODE: The police have seized gold worth Rs 33 lakh which was being smuggled through Karipur airport. The gold was confiscated from Satheesh, a resident of Malappuram Chemmad who was arrested after customs inspection at the airport. A total of 577.5 grams of gold was seized from him.

The investigation was initiated based on confidential information received by the district police chief indicating that Satheesh had arrived on an Air India Express flight from Doha the previous night and was attempting to smuggle gold. He had cleared customs inspection and left the airport but was placed under surveillance by the police.

Upon his departure from the airport, a search was conducted but no gold was initially discovered. Subsequently, he was taken to the hospital where an X-ray revealed that he had concealed the gold in the form of a capsule inside his body. This marks the 32nd case of gold smuggling outside the airport that the police have uncovered this year.