Gold bars found inside stomach of Indian businessman

Twelve gold bars were found inside the stomach of a businessman who tried to smuggle the precious metal into India from Singapore.

The Indian Express reports that the 63-year-old man visited a hospital in New Delhi earlier this month, saying he had swallowed the cap of a water bottle and wanted it removed. Doctors soon operated after he repeatedly vomited and complained of pain, and later found 12 gold bars, weighing nearly a pound and worth $23,000.

“We were shocked when gold biscuits came out of his abdomen during the operation,” the surgeon told the newspaper. “But I am at least happy that I could save his life. If it would have stayed inside for couple of more days, it would have led to severe bleeding and rupture of the intestine and septicemia. Moreover, he had severe diabetes.”

Hospital sources told the newspaper the man swallowed the gold bars as part of a plot to smuggle them into India, where recently tightened regulations on gold imports has reportedly led to increased demand for the metal.