Panaji: The crime branch of Goa police foiled an alleged gold smuggling attempt on Saturday and detained two men with 1.3kg of liquid gold worth an estimated Rs 1.5 crore.A crime branch team led by PI Nikhil Palekar intercepted the suspects at Sukhe Kulan in Dhargal and recovered the liquid gold concealed on their bodies.SP (crime branch) Rahul Gupta identified the detained men as 35-year-old Hassan Niyaz and 57-year-old Muhammed Khunhi, both residents of Kerala.Based on secret information, the crime branch launched a preliminary investigation and found that Niyaz had arrived in Goa from Dubai on a flight carrying the liquid gold consignment.The second accused, Khunhi, travelled from Kasaragod in Kerala to Margao by train before proceeding to Mopa airport to receive the consignment from Niyaz, Gupta said.“Thereafter, both accused travelled together and were intercepted by the police team at Sukhe Kulan. Upon conducting a lawful search, the police team detected that the liquid gold had been concealed inside specially stitched cavities in the banyans and undergarments worn by both the accused persons. The concealed material was recovered from their possession and seized after following all due legal procedures in the presence of panch witnesses,” Gupta said.Gupta said the accused would be handed over to Customs authorities at Mormugao for further investigation and legal action under the Customs Act and other applicable laws.
