Mumbai cops nab man wanted by customs dept from UP

Shahvez Vajih; The police managed to trace him to Rampur. Representation Pic

The JJ Marg police have apprehended a man, suspected of smuggling gold, after he fled from JJ hospital. "Shahvez Vajih, 25, took to his heels on October 27 as he feared the surgery that would be performed to recover the gold he had ingested. He was apprehended on Monday and we have handed him over to the agency," said a police officer.

According to the police, customs officials had detained Vajih on October 26 after he flew in from Jeddah as they suspected him of smuggling gold. After he was held, customs officials sought permission from the court to make him undergo surgery to recover gold that he was suspected to have ingested. However, when customs officials took him to J J hospital, he fled. "He decided to flee from the ward when an officer accompanying him visited the washroom while the other officer was completing some formalities," said an officer.

The police managed to trace him to his hometown in Rampur, Uttar Pradesh, where he was arrested. "We traced him after a technical investigation," an officer said, adding that Vajih has been handed over to the customs department for further investigation. The police have booked Vajih under Section 224 of the Indian Penal Code.