Malappuram: Karipur police here on Tuesday seized 340 grams of gold in mixture form from a passenger at Kozhikode International Airport. A passenger from Dubai was arrested on charges of gold smuggling.

According to the police, the accused, Sahihul Misfar (29), a native of Thamarassery, landed at the airport on IndiGo flight 6E 1476 from Dubai. He managed to evade routine customs checks at the airport and exited with the gold. However, the police apprehended him outside the airport and confiscated the gold.

During interrogation, Misfar admitted to the crime. The gold mixture had been packed into two small packets and concealed inside the stitched hem of his jeans before he traveled from abroad.

In the domestic market, the current price of 24-carat gold is Rs 8,750 per gram. It is estimated that out of the 340 grams of seized gold mixture, around 300 grams could be pure gold, making its total value exceed Rs 26 lakh. Misfar is currently being further interrogated, and efforts are underway to identify those behind the smuggling operation, said police.