In a bizarre and unusual smuggling attempt, security personnel at Kempegowda International Airport (KIA) in Bengaluru foiled an attempt to smuggle gold by a passenger who had concealed two capsule-shaped gold packets inside his mouth.

The Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) intercepted the passenger, identified as Siraj, an Indian national, during a routine pre-embarkation security check at around 7:30 am in the Security Hold Area of Terminal 1.

Siraj had landed in Bengaluru from Dubai earlier that morning and was scheduled to board a connecting IndiGo flight to Ghaziabad. During screening, a CISF sub-inspector noticed that the passenger was behaving suspiciously and was not responding appropriately to questions from the screening officer, which raised suspicion and prompted a closer examination.

A detailed search revealed two yellow-metal capsules concealed inside the passenger’s mouth, together weighing approximately 82 grams — roughly 40 grams each. According to security sources, the passenger had apparently calculated that a body scanner would not detect the objects lodged in his mouth, making it, in his assessment, a safer hiding spot than his baggage or clothing.

The recovered material has been sent for a purity check, and its exact composition and value are yet to be officially confirmed.

Following the recovery, the man was handed over to airport police for further investigation.

Pattern of rising gold smuggling attempts:
The incident adds to a growing list of unconventional gold-smuggling methods intercepted at Indian airports in recent months, with authorities having previously foiled attempts involving gold concealed in shoes, body cavities, and clothing. Officials say the case underscores the increasingly creative — and increasingly risky — lengths some passengers are going to in order to evade customs checks.

–Ends