Two passengers have been arrested by the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) at Bandaranaike International Airport (BIA), Katunayake, for attempting to smuggle gold worth Rs. 210 million into the country.

The suspects had concealed the gold inside vehicle spare parts and tried to pass through the airport’s “Red Channel” designated for businessmen, according to an Ada Derana reporter.

The arrested individuals are a 26-year-old from Grandpass, Colombo, and a 46-year-old from Rambukwella, Kandy. Both are reportedly involved in transporting goods from overseas on behalf of local businessmen.

They arrived at BIA at 8.30 a.m. yesterday (15 May) on Emirates Airlines flight EK-650 from Dubai.

Customs officials, upon inspection, uncovered 6.7 kilograms of gold hidden in their luggage. The haul included 21 gold biscuits concealed within two vehicle bearing systems, along with several gold ingots melted and moulded to resemble parts of a vehicle’s cooling system, specifically components of a water pump.

The suspects and the seized gold were handed over to Sri Lanka Customs officers at Katunayake Airport for further investigation.