Malappuram,02 September (H.S.): Directorate of Revenue Intelligence officials have seized gold allegedly concealed in the diaper of an eight-month-old baby at Karipur International Airport, exposing an unusual attempt to use a child as a carrier for smuggling.

Acting on specific intelligence, DRI officers intercepted a man from Ponnani who arrived from Ras Al Khaimah with his three children around midnight on Tuesday. A detailed search led officials to recover 500 grams of gold, valued at nearly ₹50 lakh, from the infant’s diaper.

The officers also found another 500 grams of gold hidden on different parts of the father’s body. The gold recovered from the man and the baby weighed about one kilogram in total.

Investigators are examining whether the infant or the other children accompanying the passenger had been used to transport contraband during earlier overseas journeys. They are also probing the family’s possible links with a wider gold-smuggling network operating through the airport.

The DRI suspects that smugglers may have relied on the presence of children to avoid intensive screening and reduce suspicion. While gold is frequently concealed in baggage, clothing, electronic appliances or on passengers’ bodies, officials said the alleged use of a baby’s diaper represented a rare and disturbing method.

In a separate operation at Karipur early on Wednesday, DRI officials recovered nearly one kilogram of gold concealed inside a coffee machine carried by a passenger arriving from a Gulf country.

The agency has not disclosed the identity of the passenger involved in the second case. It has also withheld details about the precise concealment method as the investigation remains in progress.

Together, the two seizures involved about two kilograms of gold valued at approximately ₹1 crore. Officials are also questioning those involved. Further details are expected after the authorities complete formal arrest and investigation procedures in both cases.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Arun Lakshman