$1.2 Million Worth Of Gold Bars Found In Airplane Bathroom
According to officials in India, a Jet Airways flight crew struck gold during a routine cleaning after a flight from Bangkok. The commercial plane arrived in eastern India and was going through regular maintenance at Kolkata airport. Crew members were preparing for a flight to Patna when staff members came across two bags hidden in the lavatory.
Fearing the bags might contain explosives, the crew notified security and the bomb squad arrived shortly after. The two bags were found hidden in a toilet compartment and contained 12 gold bars each.
“It was quite a surprise,” airport director BP Sharma told NBC News. “The bars were packed in bags so we did not immediately know what it was. The bags were inspected and found to be gold.”
The stash was confiscated by Customs officials and the matter is currently under investigation. The bullion is estimated to be worth around $1.2 million. No one has come forth to claim the bullion and no arrests have been made at this time.
India is known as one of the biggest gold consumers in the world. In the last two years, the Indian government has discouraged their citizens from gold purchases and imports. Due to the law tightening down on citizens, smuggling issues are on the rise.
