Mangalore: A man was taken into custody by the customs department at the Mangalore international airport for allegedly smuggling gold worth Rs 18.75 lakh in his rectum.

The arrested has been identified as 43-year-old Abdul Rahman Sulaiman a resident of Korakunnil House, Bendichal, Thekkil post in Kasaragod district. He arrived from Dubai by Air India Express flight IX 384 at Mangalore International Airport at Kenjar near here at 10.15pm on September 22.

The sleuths of DRI and Customs headed by Pravin Vinod, assistant commissioner of customs intercepted the passenger and seized the gold stashed in his private part. There were six tolas of gold wrapped in plastic.

The officials said that a person bringing in 500 grams of gold illegally stands to earn Rs 1.5 lakh,  and a kilogram fetches around Rs 3 lakh, adding that a person has to pay Rs 2.5 lakh as customs duty for every kilogram of gold they decide to legally bring in, which is a better option.