Man arrested after gold bars found in his luggage, rectum

An Indian man was arrested on suspicion of smuggling gold after customs officers saw him walking in a suspicious manner after walking off a plane in Hyderabad.

Officials searched his bags and found eight gold bars weighing a total of 800 grams hidden inside LED lights.

However, suspicious customs officers decided to x-ray the suspect and discovered a further 12 bars of gold which had been inserted before boarding the four-and-a-half hour flight from Singapore to Hyderabad.

In total, the man was carrying 2kg of gold worth an estimated $121,000.

The man arrived at Rajiv Gandhi airport in Hyderabad around 1am on Sunday.

Gold in India is worth significantly more than it is in either Singapore or Dubai meaning it is an attractive commodity for smugglers.

One customs agent said: "A smuggler bringing gold pieces concealed in his rectum is often an expert. That's because not anyone can move with ease when gold pieces are in the rear."

A gold smuggler, not involved in this week's operation, known only as Sajilal, told the Daily Express, the maximum any smuggler should attempt to carry internally is 800g.

He said: 'We practice carrying the gold and try walking and sitting normally to avoid customs officials.

"Food or water is strict no during assignments. There are a few exercises we do that make work easier and help us carry more gold.

"The maximum one can carry in the rear is up to 800 grams broken into pieces."