PUNE: Customs authorities here would be soon armed with two new modern scanners that will help them check the flyers' baggage more efficiently.The new equipment would arrive by February 2018 and the two existing ones would be upgraded by the end of this year."We have applied for two machines — one for scanning the check-in baggage and the other for hand baggage. At present, the customs has two scanners. One of them is used to scan the check-in baggage and the other for hand baggage. Both the machines are almost 6-7 years old," a customs official told TOI. Another official said the machines available at the airport now "produce the same (colour) output of different metal objects carried by the international passengers".He said, "Besides, if the bag is placed horizontally on the machine, the image is horizontal. We are yet to know all the features of the new machines. We have come to know that these machines will be able to differentiate between a heavy and light metal object. Also, the colour output will be different."The new machines will be able to scan any object inside a bag from all possible angles, the official said, adding that the clearer image outputs will help them identify gold even if it is coated with rhodium —a practice adopted by many to smuggle in the yellow metal through the Pune airport.The airport witnessed a number of gold smuggling bids. "It will be easier for us to intercept such attempts once the new machines reach us from New Delhi," another official said.

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