An air hostess was arrested at airport in Kerala for allegedly smuggling nearly one kilogram of gold from Muscat to Kannur by concealing it in her rectum, a DRI source said.
On a specific intelligence, DRI officers intercepted the Air India Express cabin crew member named Surabhi Khatun, a native of Kolkata, who arrived from Muscat at Kannur International Airport on May 28.
Her personal search resulted in the recovery of 960 grams of smuggled gold in compound form concealed in her rectum, the source said.
After interrogation, Khatun was produced before the jurisdictional magistrate and remanded to 14 days to women's prison in Kannur, the source said.
This is the first case in India where an airline crew member has been apprehended for smuggling gold by concealing it in the rectum, the DRI source claimed.
Investigation suggests she had previously smuggled gold several times. The involvement of Kerala-based individuals in the smuggling gang is also being investigated, the source said.