A 38-year-old man was arrested at Paphos airport after a quantity of gold, for which he could not provide an adequate explanation, was found in his hand luggage, the police said on Friday.

The police said the man was taken into custody on Thursday after the gold was found during a hand luggage check in the airport’s departures area.

The man had said he owned a gold trading shop and that he had transported the jewellery to Cyprus “for professional reasons”, but was, according to the police, unable to substantiate his claim.

As such, he was arrested, with the jewellery having been seized as evidence.

The police’s investigation into the matter is ongoing.