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Chinese woman arrested with Rs.11.64mn gems

Rs.11.64 million worth of gems
A 26-year-old Chinese woman was taken into custody by Customs officers at Bandaranaike International Airport while attempting to smuggle out Rs.11.64 million worth of gems on Friday night.

She was detained at the departure lounge at 8.20 pm following a tip off that she was trying to smuggle out local and foreign currency.The suspect, who was found to be working as a tourist agent in Sri Lanka, was scheduled to fly to Shanghai, China on flight MU231.

When searched officials found 248 gem stones in twelve varieties including topaz, cat’s eyes (Wairodi), eiprins, garnets, blue sapphires, green sapphires, purple sapphires and emeralds packed in her luggage.

Customs officials also found foreign and local currencies amounting to 26,680 Sri Lanka Rupees (LKR), 16,900 Chinese Yuan (CNY) and 1,650 Dollars (USD) in her luggage.