Gold worth 50L seized at airport

Kochi: Customs officials on Saturday foiled yet another bid to smuggle gold through the Kochi airport.Customs intercepted a passenger hailing from Malappuram and recovered 1.06kg of gold worth around Rs 50 lakh. Sources said the man, who has been working as a driver in Jeddah for the past 13 years, tried to smuggle gold to find money for his mother’s dialysis.He was offered flight ticket and Rs 25,000. He came to Kochi from Jeddah via Kuwait. He had concealed the gold in capsule form in his rectum. Officials found him in a physically exhausted state as he reportedly had no experience of smuggling gold, sources said.Four held for duping youthKochi: Ernakulam Rural police arrested four persons on Saturday for allegedly duping a youth of Rs 18 lakh after building a friendship with him. The arrested persons are Aparna, 34, of Chavara, Kollam, Aromal, 24, Anandu, 24, and Gautham Krishna, 23, all three from Neendakara, Kollam. The accused were arrested by Nedumbassery police.Man held in Pocso caseKochi: Kalady police arrested a Sreemolanagaram native for sexually abusing a minor boy. The arrested person has been identified as Kunjumon. Case registered for slandering actorKochi: Panangad police have registered a case based on the complaint of actor Tovino Thomas that someone was slandering him through Instagram. The case was registered after Thomas filed a complaint with the office of the Kochi City police commissioner. Police said that they were closing in on the person who was behind the crime, and they will track the person down soon.