Topics: News
A man was arrested by customs officials at New Delhi's Indira Gandhi International Airport after he was caught trying to smuggle gold worth almost $40,000 (£31,113) into the country.
The Times of India first reported that the unidentified man had concealed melted down gold in a pouch hidden under a toupee he was wearing.
Not only that, but customs officials told the publication that he had also two capsule-shaped pouches of gold lodged inside his rectum.
A video shared by Delhi Customs captured the dramatic moment they removed the man’s toupee and revealed the pouch of gold glued to the top of his bald head.
According to UAE newspaper The National, the man, who is an Indian passport holder, was traveling from Abu Dhabi when he was apprehended by authorities after disembarking his flight in New Delhi.
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The paper also reported that further investigations are underway.
While carrying gold on flights is not illegal, passengers must declare the quantity they are importing or exporting and pay the necessary taxes.
It’s not the first time a wig has been used to smuggle gold into India.
Last March, two men were caught smuggling gold and cash worth almost $383,000 (£279,000) into southern India's Chennai International Airport under their wigs.
Magroob Akbarali and Zubair Hassan Rafiyutheen were arrested at the airport's exit after their unusual hairstyles raised suspicions following their return from Dubai.
Officials then discovered that the men were wearing wigs, which were hiding two packets of gold paste that weighed 698g.
In footage shared at the time, officials were seen peeling back the men's fake hair to reveal black parcels stuffed with cash and gold paste, which had been glued to their heads.
They also recovered gold from their socks and rectum.
The cash, gold and other illicit items were then seen laid out on the counter, showing just how much the duo had attempted to sneak through the airport.
Air Customs officials seized gold and foreign currency worth a total of $382,943 (£278,418).
According to a 2019 article from Indian newspaper The Tribune, carrying gold in paste form is a method that has been adopted by smugglers hoping to dodge metal detectors and x-ray machines at airports.
An unnamed official from the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) said: "Smugglers first convert yellow metal into powder and then produce its compounds in paste form. Around 700 gms of gold can be retrieved from every 1,000gms of paste by undertaking a chemical procedure.
"Involvement of some prominent jewellers and gold dealers across big cities cannot be ruled out. We are trying to identify potential end-users so as to break the nexus between smugglers and jewellers."
