A pair of crooks tried smuggling hundreds of thousands of pounds worth of gold and cash into an airport underneath their wigs.
The brazen suspects got as far as the Chennai International Airport, India exit on Sunday when officials clocked onto their unusual hairstyles and wanted a closer look.
Officials soon discovered they were wearing wigs concealing two gold paste packets weighing 698 grams.
In hilarious photos, the authorities can be seen peeling back the fake hair to reveal black packets filled with cash and gold paste glued to their heads.
A strip search which followed by customs security also recovered gold from the suspects’ socks and rectum.
The News Minute reports that the Customs officials at Chennai airport said in a press release, that based on a tip-off, Magroob Akbarali, 39, from Ramanathapuram, and Zubair Hassan Rafiyutheen, 26 from Chennai, had flown from Dubai.
The press release said: “On examination, they were found to be wearing wigs and having partly tonsured heads. Two gold paste packets, weighing 698 grams, were found concealed under their wigs, out of which 595 grams of gold was retrieved.”
The cash, along with chunks of gold and other illicit items can be seen laid out on the counter as the crooks watch on in embarrassment.
Balu Ganesan, 42, of Trichy, was also arrested after being intercepted on arrival at the airport from the same flight.
He was found with three bundles of gold paste including 622 grams of gold, hidden in his rectum.
Air customs officials seized gold and foreign currency worth a total of $382,943 or £280,000 from southern India’s Chennai International Airport on March 21.