Mumbai Airport: Kenyans arrested for carrying gold hidden in shawarmas, bottles of coffee; one held

The women, who had flown to India from Nairobi via Sharjah, carried small gold bars hidden in Shawarmas, bottles of ground coffee and shoes. Gold was also found in their underwear, sources said. “They were all on the same flight,” sources said.

AIU has so far arrested a woman for transporting more gold than the allowed limit. The remaining 17 were fired after the agency seized their undeclared gold.

According to sources, an investigation has so far found that these women were not part of any contraband racketeering.

“It was mostly poor women who bought gold in Kenya at a lower price and wanted to sell it in Mumbai, where the price of gold is much higher,” a source said.

“Usually, most of the smuggled gold has its origin in Dubai or Sharjah, however, we are increasingly seeing cases of gold smuggling from African countries,” the source added.

Last month, the IAU intercepted and arrested two passengers at the airport for smuggling 1.71 kg of gold worth Rs 77 lakh into the country from Dubai.