Katunayake gold seizure: reports describe 436g consignment and Rs2.5m fine

A Sri Lankan passenger was arrested at Bandaranaike International Airport over an alleged undeclared gold consignment, according to reports published on November 12 and 13. The reports put the gold's weight at 436 grams and estimated value at Rs 24.5 million. The account concerns a reported Customs seizure and fine, not a criminal-court conviction independently verified by this publication.

What the reports describe

published reporting identify the passenger as a 29-year-old Homagama resident reportedly employed at a private school. The accounts say she travelled from Kuala Lumpur and was stopped by airport Police Narcotics Bureau officers. They describe four gold biscuits and part of another found in two small concealed pouches.

The reports say the gold was handed to the airport Customs narcotics-control unit. They report confiscation and an order to pay Rs 2.5 million. The estimated value of the gold and the amount of the reported fine are separate figures: Rs 24.5 million is not the fine.

Limits of the available account

November 12 reports place the arrival around midnight, while later wording uses relative descriptions of the previous day. No exact arrest hour is fixed here. The original Customs decision, payment record and any court file have not been reviewed, so this article does not claim the fine has been paid or that a court has found the passenger guilty.

The photograph is a general airport-travel illustration. It does not show Katunayake, the passenger, her luggage or the seized gold.

The published report

The published report

The published report