Mangaluru: Customs officials at Mangaluru International Airport (MIA) on Thursday seized 2.15 kg of gold worth Rs 1.09 crore from two people who arrived on a flight from Sharjah.

Based on intelligence and profiling of passengers, Customs personnel intercepted Faizal Thotty Melparamba (37) and Mohammad Shuhaib Mugu (31), both natives of Kasaragod in Kerala, a Customs release said.

The two had arrived from Sharjah by Air India flight IX 1384 on Thursday. When the officials checked the passengers, they found the gold, concealed in paste form in underwear.

Over 2.154 kg of gold of 24K purity worth Rs 1.09 crore was recovered and seized.

Customs Commissioner Imamuddin Ahmed and Joint Commissioner Joannes George congratulated the officers of the airport customs team led by deputy commissioner Praveen Kandi and officers K Shrikanth, Subhendu Ranjan Behera, Naveen Kumar and others for their vigilant action in preventing the smuggling activity, a Customs release here said.

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Hyderabad (PTI): The Telangana Commission for Backward Classes on Monday sought reports from state government officials on the death of an infant following alleged assault and caste abuse against her family members in Nagarkurnool district while visiting a temple fair.

In separate letters, Commission Chairman G Niranjan urged Endowments Department Commissioner S Harish and Nagarkurnool district Collector Badavath Santhosh to furnish the reports within three days.

Niranjan drew the officials' attention to media reports on the death of the two-month-old baby at Kummera village in the district and alleged caste discrimination and denial of entry to the temple fair to the baby's family belonging to a BC community.

BJP OBC Morcha's state unit president G Anand Goud alleged inadequate response by the police in the incident and demanded a transparent investigation into the incident.

Alleging that the deceased baby's father was attacked in the incident, he also demanded action against the attackers.

Goud told reporters that BJP's state unit president N Ramachander Rao would visit the village on February 24 and meet the baby's family members.

Meanwhile, a BRS delegation met DGP B Shivadhar Reddy and demanded a comprehensive inquiry into the incident.

The BRS leaders sought action against a person who allegedly attacked the infant's parents.

BC associations have held protests over the past few days regarding the alleged caste discrimination against the deceased infant's family members.

Police said on Sunday that four persons were arrested in connection with the cases registered after the family alleged that the baby died following an "assault" by a group of villagers. The family also alleged that they were abused in the name of caste in the incident on February 18.

However, a villager, part of the group, lodged a counter-complaint with the police the same day, alleging that he was attacked with stones during a scuffle with the family, sustaining a head injury, following which a case was registered.

The infant died on February 21 and her mother, who belongs to an SC community, also lodged a complaint alleging her daughter died due to the physical assault on the family by some villagers, police said.