A passenger has been arrested by the Customs Air Intelligence Unit at Delhi's Indira Gandhi International Airport on charges of gold smuggling worth over Rs 1 crore. The gold bought by the accused in the form of chemical paste was confiscated.
According to Customs officials, the accused passenger arrived at Delhi Airport from Jeddah via Kuwait. Acting on a tip-off about smuggling activities, the Air Intelligence Unit (AIU) intercepted the passenger after observing suspicious behaviour as he crossed the Green Channel.
The passenger was taken to the AIU interrogation room, where a thorough questioning led him to confess to smuggling gold. The accused disclosed that the gold, disguised as chemical paste, was packed into packets and hidden inside the strips of his underwear. A search revealed that the passenger was wearing two layers of underwear, with packets of gold paste cleverly concealed between the strips.
The gold paste extracted from the underwear weighed a total of 1,321 grams, valued at over Rs 1 crore. The Customs team seized the gold under Section 110 of the Customs Act, 1962, and arrested the passenger under Section 104 of the same Act. Further investigation into the matter is ongoing under legal procedures.
Passenger Arrested At IGI Airport For Smuggling Over 7 Kg 'Heroin'
In a similar incident, the Customs officers at IGI Airport, New Delhi booked an Indian passenger for allegedly smuggling a narcotic substance suspected to be heroin on November 12. The passenger arrived at Terminal-3 on November 9 from Bangkok via Kuala Lumpur when he was held with 7.321 kg of 'white heroin’ valued at approximately Rs 29.28 crore.
According to Delhi Customs (Airport & General), the passenger was intercepted after he had crossed the green channel and was approaching towards exit gate of the International arrival hall.
"During baggage search of the pax, white colour narcotics substance packed in 7 green colour polythene packets, totally Net weighing 7.321 Kg (without packing material) was recovered from trolley bag of the pax. Diagnostic test, confirmed the substance, suspected to contain Heroin. The recovered substance suspected to Heroin is valued of Rs. 29.28 Crore approx," Delhi Customs said.
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