A significant bust occurred at the Kochi airport in Kerala, where the Customs team intercepted a couple arriving from Tamil Nadu. The duo, identified as Rifnas Hamed Mohammed Sharif, aged 26, and his wife Janofer Kadar Beevi Umar Farook, 23, were allegedly carrying a substantial amount of gold paste valued at approximately ₹2 crore.
The couple, hailing from the Pudukkottai district of Tamil Nadu, was apprehended upon their arrival from Abu Dhabi on Monday, July 13, 2026. Customs officials conducted a thorough search and discovered the concealed contraband, extracting a total of 1,353.92 grams of gold, which is valued at around ₹1.93 crore.
Notably, the gold was cleverly hidden inside the stitched waistline of the trousers worn by the couple, illustrating the lengths to which smugglers will go to evade detection.
Authorities are continuing their investigation into the case to determine the broader implications of this smuggling operation and to identify any additional individuals involved.
