Riyadh-Delhi gold smuggling foiled: 931.57 grams of gold found hidden in undergarments
by Ekta ChaubeyIn a significant bust, Customs officials airport seized 931.57 grams of 24-karat gold valued at USD81173.83 (₹68.93 lakhs). The gold was extracted from 1,047 grams of gold paste concealed in the undergarments of two passengers.
The incident took place at Indira Gandhi International (IGI) Delhi on December 15.
The visuals depict customs officials extracting gold paste by cutting open buttons sewn into the undergarments.
According to the reports, the suspects, Indian nationals aged 41 and 36 from Uttar Pradesh, were intercepted on Flight XY 329 arriving from Riyadh, following specific intelligence inputs. Upon a detailed search, Customs officers discovered irregularly shaped pouches hidden on their persons, containing the gold paste. The recovered gold was confiscated under Section 110 of the Customs Act, 1962, and the passengers were arrested under Section 104 of the same act. Authorities have launched an in-depth investigation into the smuggling attempt. This operation highlights the vigilance of Customs officials in curbing illegal activities and safeguarding India’s borders against gold smuggling.