COIMBATORE: The Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) arrested two passengers who arrived here from Sharjah and seized 1.31 kg gold valued at Rs. 43 lakh from them.

Based on specific intelligence, officials stopped the passengers – K.P. Ashab and E.S. Suneer. During a search, they recovered the gold that was concealed in their waist belts on March 12, an official release said on Thursday.

“As the belts weighed 2.850 kg, officials started the procedure to separate gold from a paste mixed with sand dust, by burning it,” the release said.

After a 12-hour operations, gold was extracted in solidified form, with one belt having 687.18 grams of gold of the total weight of 1.35 kg and another 694.26 out of 1.43 kg, it said.

Total gold extracted weighed 1,381.44 grams valued at Rs.43,37,721.6 lakh (at the rate of Rs. 3140 per gram).Ashab and Sunner have been arrested and remanded.