Million-dollar stash of gold found in plane’s toilet in eastern India

Cleaners found 24 gold bars stuffed in toilet compartment on a commercial plan in eastern India.

A customs officer shows 24 gold bars to media after being seized at the Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose International Airport in Calcutta. EPA

KOLKATA // Cleaners working on a commercial plane in eastern India have found 24 gold bars worth more than $1 million stuffed into a toilet compartment, officials said today.

India, which rivals China as the world’s biggest gold consumer, has witnessed a spike in smuggling after import duties were hiked three times this year to try to dampen demand for the precious metal.

The plane belonging to Jet Airways was being cleaned at Kolkata airport on Tuesday after a trip from the eastern city of Patna. It had previously been flying on international routes.

“The cleaning staff of the airport were going though their routine duties and found two bags in the toilets of the plane,” director of the airport BP Mishra said.

The one-kilogram gold bars “have not been claimed by anyone. No arrest has been made as yet”.

Senior customs official RS Meena estimated the value of the haul at about 70 million rupees, or $1.1 million.

* Agence France-Presse