Lankan arrested in Chennai for smuggling condom stuffed gems

A Sri Lankan was arrested in Chennai for smuggling precious stones into India from Sri Lanka. The Chennai suburban police said Mohammed Safiq, 43, who was apprehended near Chennai airport Tuesday morning, stuffed the gems into 42 condoms which he swallowed before the flight.

Chennai suburban police commissioner S.R. Jangid was informed that a consignment of jewels was going to be smuggled to the city from Sri Lanka by air Tuesday morning. A special police team was formed to apprehend the smuggler based on the tip-off. The cops arrested Safiq when they saw him moving shiftily around the parking lot.

When the police questioned Safiq and he made contradictory statements, the cops took him to a private hospital where

X-rays showed that he had ingested a large quantity of what appeared to be condoms containing precious stones. Doctors took six hours to remove the gem-filled condoms from Safiq’s stomach and intestines. Safiq later told the police that he had successfully smuggled consignments of jewels the same way three times previously and said he was paid Rs 10, 000 for each trip.

“There were 42 condoms containing 2,065 precious stones worth roughly around Rs 1.5 crore,” Mr Jangid said. “Safiq packed the precious stones and put them in condoms which he swallowed just before boarding the flight.” “He is just a carrier and his job is to deliver the stones to three persons from Jaipur,” he added. The police arrested Safiq and later handed him to customs officials for further investigation, Indian media reports.