Gold found concealed in passenger’s body seized at Mangaluru Airport

February 4, 2015

Mangaluru, Feb 4: The Directorate of Revenue Intelligence officers on Tuesday arrested a person at Mangaluru International Airport for alleged smuggling of five gold biscuits by concealing it in rectum.

The seizure of five gold biscuits weighing a total of 583 grams worth Rs 16.33 lakh was made based on a tip off from intelligence.

The accused is Mohammed Sameer, a resident of Udma in Kasaragod district, who arrived at MIA by Air India flight AI 814 from Dubai.

Since the intelligence had indicated that he had concealed gold biscuits inside his body/rectum, he was produced before the court seeking permission to screen his body for detection of the gold biscuits. He was screened by the authorities of District Government Wenlock Hospital which indicated concealment of metal pieces in his body/rectum.

Thereafter detailed examination of his body resulted in the recovery and seizure of five gold biscuits. DRI said investigation indicated that Sameer is a part of a smuggling gang operating between Kasargod and Dubai.

Further investigation is in progress. In the operation the officials of Customs department posted at Mangalore International Airport also assisted in the anti-smuggling operation.

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Elusive bamboo shrimp resurfaces in Mangaluru estuary after 70 years

News Network

December 7,2025

Mangaluru, Dec 7: A rare bamboo shrimp has been rediscovered on mainland India more than 70 years after it was last reported, confirming for the first time the presence of Atyopsis spinipes in the country. The find was made by researchers from the Centre for Climate Change Studies at Sathyabama Institute of Science and Technology, Chennai, during surveys in Karnataka and Odisha.

The team — shrimp expert Dr S Prakash, PhD scholar K Kunjulakshmi, and Mangaluru-based researcher Maclean Antony Santos — combined field surveys, ecological assessments and DNA analysis to identify the elusive species. Their findings, published in Zootaxa, resolve decades of taxonomic confusion stemming from a 1951 report that misidentified the species as Atyopsis moluccensis without strong evidence.

The shrimp has now been confirmed at two locations: the Mulki–Pavanje estuary near Mangaluru and the Kuakhai River in Bhubaneswar. Historical specimens from the Andaman Islands, previously labelled as A. moluccensis, were also found to be misidentified and actually belong to A. spinipes.

The rediscovery began after an aquarium hobbyist in Odisha spotted a shrimp in 2022, prompting systematic surveys across Udupi, Karwar and Mangaluru. Four female specimens were collected in Mulki and one in Odisha, all genetically matching.

Researchers warn the species may exist in very small, vulnerable populations as freshwater habitats face increasing pressure from pollution, sand mining and infrastructure development. All verified specimens have been deposited with the Zoological Survey of India for future reference.

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