We learned from the authorities, Wednesday, that an Indian who tried to smuggle nearly a kilogram of gold paste hidden in the anus, was arrested at an airport in the northeast of the country.
The smuggler, who was on his way to New Delhi, was arrested on Monday after a security guard discovered “the presence of metal in the body cavity” at Imphal Airport in the northern state of Manipur.
Authorities gave him an X-ray that revealed four capsules in his rectum, containing a total of more than 900 grams of gold paste, worth about $56,664, according to the security press release.
Demand for gold has peaked in recent months in India, buoyed by the wedding season and preparations for the major Hindu festivals of Divali and Dussehra that take place in late autumn.
The city of Manipur, which shares a border with Bangladesh, according to experts, has become a major route for gold smuggling to India.
Experts say the smuggling of gold to India, the world’s second largest consumer of precious metals, has increased in recent years, particularly thanks to it being turned into a paste.
Smugglers became increasingly creative, as authorities uncovered quantities of gold sewn into clothing or hidden in body cavities.
In August, the authorities estimated the amount of gold smuggled into the country each year at 300 tons, resulting in huge revenue losses for the government.
