Published Sep 03, 2026 | 7:00 AM ⚊ Updated Sep 03, 2026 | 8:49 AM
The gold was concealed in the diaper of an eight-month-old baby, who arrived at the Calicut airport with his father and siblings.
Synopsis: A gold-smuggling trail from Kochi to Karipur has uncovered a startling allegation of nearly ₹1 crore worth of gold being concealed on a father and inside his infant’s diaper. The case has put the spotlight on the increasingly innovative—and disturbing—methods allegedly used by smuggling networks.
A gold-smuggling investigation triggered by a seizure in Kochi has led the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) to a family that arrived at Calicut International Airport in Karipur, where officers allegedly found gold concealed in an eight-month-old baby’s diaper.
The DRI seized nearly 1 kg of gold in the Karipur operation, with about 500 grams, valued at nearly ₹50 lakh, allegedly concealed in the infant’s diaper.
Another cache of roughly the same weight was found concealed on the body of the child’s father, taking the total value of the seizure to around ₹1 crore.
The family, comprising the father and his three children, all from Ponnani, had arrived at Karipur from Ras Al Khaimah around midnight on Tuesday, 1 September. The DRI reportedly tracked them based on specific information received during an earlier gold-smuggling investigation in Kochi.
A woman arrested in Kochi the previous day in connection with smuggling gold concealed in sanitary napkins is understood to have provided the information that led investigators to the Karipur-bound family. Acting on her inputs, DRI officials kept the passengers under surveillance until their flight landed.
The father and the children were subjected to a detailed examination upon arrival, after which gold worth about ₹1 crore was recovered in a concealed, mixed form.
The father and the three children were travelling together when the seizure was made. The DRI is now examining whether the man had made similar trips in the past and whether any of the children had previously been used to conceal or carry smuggled gold.
Reports said the man has four wives and 15 children. The infant’s mother was reportedly caught smuggling gold at the Cochin International Airport on Saturday, 29 August.
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Although using an infant in a gold-smuggling attempt is unusual, concealing gold in children’s diapers has appeared in several earlier airport cases.
The Karipur seizure has therefore prompted investigators to examine whether organised smuggling groups are deliberately involving children to avoid detailed scrutiny.
In March 2023, Customs officials at Mangaluru International Airport intercepted a passenger who had concealed gold paste in pouches inside the diaper of his 21-month-old daughter. Customs officials arrested the passenger after detecting the gold.
At Mumbai’s Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport in November 2023, two women arriving from Ras Al Khaimah were arrested after around 4 kg of gold was allegedly found concealed in undergarments and diapers worn by children travelling with them.
A DRI operation at Bengaluru’s Kempegowda International Airport in January 2024 also involved a couple travelling from Dubai with their two children. The adults were found carrying gold paste concealed in specially designed undergarments, while investigators said the children had been used as part of the family’s cover.
More recently, in February 2025, the DRI intercepted a US-based woman and her minor daughter at Mumbai airport after they arrived from Dubai. Officials recovered around 5.47 kg of gold bars concealed in a customised jacket worn under the daughter’s dress.
These cases have strengthened the suspicion among enforcement agencies that some smuggling networks are exploiting family travel and the expectation of lighter scrutiny of children at airports.
According to a senior state police officer who was part of a team that investigated a major gold-smuggling case, gold is sometimes processed into ultrafine powder and mixed with wax, chemical binders or petroleum jelly, creating a dense paste that can be moulded and concealed inside everyday items. Such material may be sealed in foil or plastic liners and hidden within padded garments and other personal belongings.
The official said smugglers may also attempt to use specially altered clothing to distribute concealed weight, reducing the chances of unusual movement attracting attention. Thin sheets or wires can be hidden within clothing layers, hems and other modified sections, while footwear and accessories may also be altered to create concealed cavities.
The most disturbing aspect, the official said, is the alleged exploitation of children and infants as a psychological shield.
Smugglers may assume that families travelling with young children will attract less suspicion or be processed more quickly at crowded checkpoints.
“Smuggling networks constantly study security procedures and adapt their concealment techniques. What makes some of these methods particularly concerning is the attempt to exploit the natural reluctance of security personnel to subject children and families to intrusive scrutiny,” the police official said.
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The Karipur operation involving the infant was not the only gold seizure reported by the DRI in Keralam recently.
In another airport case, officers recovered around 1 kg of gold allegedly concealed inside a coffee machine carried by a passenger arriving from a Gulf country. Further details, including the passenger’s identity and the precise method of concealment, have not been disclosed as the formal arrest procedure was still under way.
Separately, in two operations conducted in Keralam on 29 August, the DRI’s Cochin Zonal Unit and Calicut Regional Unit intercepted passengers arriving from Ras Al Khaimah and Jeddah.
At Cochin International Airport, 1.78 kg of gold was extracted from two packets containing gold in compound form and concealed on the body of a passenger arriving from Ras Al Khaimah. The passenger was arrested.
At Calicut International Airport, DRI officers, assisted by the Air Intelligence Unit, seized 549 grams of 24-carat foreign-origin gold from a passenger arriving from Jeddah. The gold had allegedly been concealed in specially created cavities inside the heavy alloy portion of an iron box carried by the passenger.
Customs seized the gold under the Customs Act, 1962, and arrested the passenger.
The DRI is continuing its investigation into the Karipur case, including the possible involvement of other members of the smuggling network and whether the family had made earlier trips using similar methods.
(Edited by Majnu Babu).
