New Delhi: The customs department at the Indira Gandhi International (IGI) airport arrested a 44-year-old man on Friday for allegedly smuggling 115 gold bars worth over ₹5.7 crore from the United States of America to India.
Customs department said their air intelligence unit (AIU) recovered gold bars weighing 3,565 grams concealed in specially designed belt and inner pockets of the man’s trousers.
According to senior officials, the accused – an American National of Indian origin – arrived in Delhi on an Air India flight from San Francisco. He was caught while trying to pass through the Green Channel (path for passengers not carrying any prohibited item).
“A thorough search of the passenger and his baggage, conducted in the presence of independent witnesses, revealed the gold bars hidden in a specially designed belt with concealed pockets stitched into the inner lining of his trousers. The recovered gold bars are of 24-karat purity,” said a customs spokesperson.
The contraband has been seized under Section 110 of the Customs Act, 1962, and the passenger has been placed under arrest under Section 104 of the same Act. Further investigations are underway.
Senior customs officials tracking contraband flow said the seizure is directly linked to a sharp rise in smuggling attempts observed over the past week.
“The recent hike in customs duty on gold from 6% to 15% has significantly widened profit margins for international smuggling syndicates, prompting them to deploy increasingly sophisticated concealment techniques. With the margin of profit per kilogram skyrocketing, international syndicates appear to have shown heightened desperation,” a senior official said, adding that the trend was being closely monitored.
