Dodgy LED lamps lead authorities to gold hidden in man's butt
A smuggler caught at an airport in Hyderabad, India was found to have 2.6 pounds of gold bars stuffed up inside him.
It seems Indian gold smugglers have borrowed from the golden goose's playbook.
A 36-year-old man was caught trying to smuggle 1.2 kilograms (about 2.6 pounds) of gold from Singapore to Hyderabad, India in his rectum. What led to his arrest? Authorities at Rajiv Gandhi International Airport were suspicious of eight LED lamps inside his luggage, reports the Times of India.
Custom officials found 800 grams (1.7 pounds) of gold in these lamps. When questioned, the smuggler denied having any more gold. This led to a metal detection test, which he failed.
After probing him, custom officials found the additional 1.2 kilograms of the precious metal. In total, he was carrying about $80,000 in gold.
Gold smuggling is a common issue in India due to the country being the world's largest gold consumer. Usually more traditional methods are used, such as reshaping the smuggled gold into belt buckles or mixing it with other metals.
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