Man caught trying to smuggle 12 gold bars under his feet
Thrippathy Palaniyandy had six gold bars stuck under each foot using adhesives. Photo: Facebook/Sajid Bukhari
SINGAPORE — A man stuck 12 gold bars – collectively weighing over 1kg – under his feet in a bid to smuggle them from Singapore to India, but was caught when he arrived at Mumbai airport on Monday (March 6).
The man, Thrippathy Palaniyandy, who works as an architectural supervisor at YTL Corporation in Singapore, admitted that he was trying to smuggle the gold, valued at about S$77,000, on behalf of another man from Singapore called Mr Muru, media reports quoted an Air Intelligence Unit officer as saying.
To avoid detection, officials said Palaniyandy had worn thick socks over his feet. Six gold bars, each weighing 100g, were stuck to each foot using adhesives.
In return for handing the gold over to Mr Muru’s contact in Mumbai, Palaniyandy, who hails from Pudukkottai in Tamil Nadu, would have received S$845 in commission and free plane tickets, The Asian Age reported, adding that he earns a monthly wage of S$3,174.
