CISF Catches Two Passengers with 260g Gold Powder at Bengaluru Airport

Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) personnel at Kempegowda International Airport in Bengaluru intercepted two passengers on Thursday and recovered approximately 260 grams of gold-like metal in powdered form concealed inside the waistbands of their trousers.

The incident took place around 11:30 a.m. at Terminal 1, where security personnel stopped the two men on suspicion of carrying concealed substances. The passengers were identified as Laxmana Devadiga and Raghavendra Devadiga, both Indian nationals.

According to officials, the duo had arrived at Terminal 2 from Bangkok aboard an IndiGo flight that landed at around 10:15 a.m. They were scheduled to board a domestic connecting flight to Ahmedabad departing from Terminal 1 at 1:55 p.m. A preliminary probe revealed that the two men are suspected to be working as mules for an organized gold smuggling racket.

During security frisking, a CISF team led by Sub-Inspector Deepak Kumar Mishra detected the material hidden in their clothing. A subsequent detailed inspection in the airport's valuable room led to the recovery of two packets containing gold-like metal in powdered form, weighing a total of roughly 260 grams.

Following directions from the Shift Group Officer-in-Charge, both passengers were offloaded from their onward flight to Ahmedabad. The CISF handed over the two individuals along with the seized material to the Kempegowda International Airport police for further legal proceedings.

Authorities stated that further investigation is underway to determine the exact nature, purity, and monetary value of the seized metal, as well as the broader network involved in the smuggling operation.