GFN – TOKYO: Tokyo police have arrested six people on suspicion of attempting to smuggle 49 kilograms of gold bars worth approximately ¥1.075 billion ($7.4 million) from China into Japan by concealing the bullion inside life-size dolls, authorities said.

 

The arrests were announced Monday by the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department and first reported by Jiji Press. Police allege the group attempted to evade roughly ¥107.5 million in Japanese consumption tax through the scheme.

According to investigators, the suspects imported three life-size dolls by air on Jan. 6 and declared them to customs officials as mannequins. Authorities allege the dolls contained 49 kilograms of gold bars hidden within their structure. The shipment was then delivered to an apartment in Tokyo’s Arakawa Ward.

Among those arrested were a 46-year-old Chinese company executive residing in Chiba Prefecture and a 38-year-old corporate employee living in Tokyo, along with four other suspects. Police believe the dolls were intended to be collected and transported to an office connected to the company executive.

Japanese authorities have periodically warned that rising gold prices and consumption-tax differentials create incentives for gold smuggling operations. Customs agencies have documented a range of concealment methods in past cases, including body concealment, modified luggage, and other disguised transport techniques.

The investigation remains ongoing.