Gold smuggling unwrapped: Customs officials recover 13 bars from passenger’s baggage
by Ekta ChaubeyCustoms officials seized 999 grams of 24-karat gold, valued at approximately USD 85882.83 (₹72.72000), in a significant bust.
The incident took place at Indira Gandhi International (IGI) Airport in Delhi on December 6.
The visuals show Customs officials carefully extracting gold bars tightly wrapped in tape. Five gold bars are being recovered from one taped bundle. Two such bundles are visible on the weighing machine.
According to reports, acting on specific intelligence, the Air Intelligence Unit (AIU) intercepted a 37-year-old Indian male passenger arriving at Terminal 3 from Indore. The individual was flagged for additional scrutiny and escorted to the Customs arrivals area for further investigation. Upon conducting an X-ray examination of the passenger’s baggage, officers detected suspicious images, prompting a detailed inspection. The search led to the discovery of 13 yellow metal pieces, suspected to be of foreign origin gold, concealed within the luggage.
The recovered gold, weighing 999 grams, was seized under applicable laws. Authorities have launched a detailed investigation to determine the source and intended destination of the smuggled gold. Further updates are awaited as the probe continues.