Passenger caught with 70 tola gold, $14,000 at Karachi airport

KARACHI: Pakistan Customs authorities caught a passenger travelling with 70 tola gold and $14,000 at Karachi International airport, ARY News reported on Thursday.

According to details, the action was part of a crackdown on gold and foreign currency smuggling.

During the operation, a passenger bound for Istanbul was stopped for checking, and scanning revealed the presence of gold, prompting a detailed inspection of the passenger’s belongings.

At the Joint Examination Counter, officials recovered 10 tolas of gold and USD 7,000.

Assistant Collector Customs, Khizar Faiz, stated that a further search of the passenger’s person yielded an additional USD 7,000, bringing the total seizure to 70 tolas of gold and USD 14,000. The combined value of the confiscated items is estimated at around PKR 35 million.

Customs officials confirmed that the seized gold and foreign currency have been confiscated, and a case has been registered against the suspect under the Customs Act. Further investigations were ongoing.

Earlier, an outbound passenger was caught by the Airport Security Force (ASF) at Karachi airport while carrying drugs.

As per details, the ASF officials foiled an attempt to smuggle ice to a Saudi Arabia-bound passenger. Rehmatullah was caught with 1.264-kilogram ice in his luggage.

The officials said the passenger who concealed the drugs in his luggage was traveling to Jeddah. The man was handed over to the ANF after the initial interrogation.