Two men who arrived from Bangkok and boarded a taxi in front of the Calcutta airport early on Wednesday morning were arrested during a naka check for allegedly carrying gold worth over ₹1 crore hidden in their luggage.

Police said the men could not explain how they had procured the gold or the destination to which they were taking it. Both are Indian nationals, the police confirmed.

“The vehicle was intercepted during a naka check. We found gold weighing around 662 grams. They could not produce any document,” said Aishwarya Sagar, deputy commissioner (airport), Bidhannagar Commissionerate.

The matter was reported to the enforcement branch of Bidhannagar police, which will take over the probe.

Sources said the gold was hidden inside the luggage, prompting the police to suspect it was smuggled from Bangkok.

During the model code of conduct for elections, there is a restriction on carrying cash and valuables unless the carrier can explain the source of the items and the intended destination.

In this case, the men allegedly failed to give any explanation and were therefore arrested.

If someone is caught carrying cash more than ₹50,000, it should be reported to the police, and if someone is carrying cash more than ₹10 lakh, the Income Tax department should be informed, the police said.