Customs department officers have foiled a smuggling bid — with the culprit this time having hidden gold inside the cap of a beverage bottle, officials said.

According to officials, an Indian passenger travelling from Dubai to Delhi on an Air India AI-996 flight on October 25 was intercepted at the green channel “after being discreetly followed based on profiling”. Upon inspection, officers discovered that the plastic cap of a beverage bottle had been tampered with to conceal a cylindrical piece of gold.

The gold was meticulously crafted to fit inside the cap, making it difficult to detect during regular checks. Customs officials said the gold, which was seized, weighed 170 grams.

“When it comes to smuggling of gold, the fertile brain of the human race can think in more ways than can b

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