Hyderabad: A suspected gold courier from Kerala gave customs officials the slip during an investigation at the Rajiv Gandhi International Airport (RGIA), escaping custody even after officers seized gold worth over Rs 90 lakh from his possession. Police have registered a case and launched efforts to trace him.The drama began on Thursday morning when Air Intelligence Unit officers of customs intercepted TP Sadakkathulla, a resident of Kannur district, after he arrived at RGIA on IndiGo flight from Thiruvananthapuram.Acting on specific intelligence, customs officials stopped Sadakkathulla at the arrival hall. Though he was carrying only a backpack, a scan of his luggage allegedly revealed a black packet containing gold paste.“During the interrogation, Sadakkathulla admitted he had picked up the packet from under his seat. It was left there by an international passenger who had travelled in the same aircraft during its immediate previous journey from Sharjah to Thiruvananthapuram. Sadakkathulla was offered Rs 10,000 by the gang to pick it up from the flight and hand it to a contact waiting outside the airport,” said an RGIA police officer.The packet, weighing 697 grams, was taken to a gold extraction facility at RB Nagar near Shamshabad for smelting. Customs officials accompanied the accused along with two independent witnesses to extract the precious metal concealed in the paste.However, in a dramatic turn during the extraction process, Sadakkathulla allegedly pushed air customs superintendent Lavkesh Kumar Meena and fled. “Customs officials tried to chase him but he managed to escape,” a police officer said.Despite the suspect’s escape, the smelting process was completed. A govt-approved gold valuer assessed the extracted metal at 570.03 grams of 24-carat gold, valued at Rs 90.56 lakh.Customs officials sealed the seized gold and the accused’s backpack as evidence. Statements of witnesses were recorded as part of the panchnama, while the accused’s mobile phone and Aadhaar card were handed over to police along with the complaint.Based on a complaint filed by Meena, RGIA police registered a case under section 262 (resistance or obstruction to lawful apprehension) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita. “The accused is absconding. We are trying to locate him,” an RGIA police official said.Investigators are also probing the larger smuggling network and the role of the international passenger who allegedly left the gold consignment on the aircraft for collection by the accused.
