Highlights
- The detailed examination of the baggage and personal search of the passengers resulted in the recovery of seven rectangular-shaped pouches containing the chemical paste, appearing to be gold and weighing 7.763 kg in total, it said.
- Earlier in October, the Air Intelligence Unit (AIU) of Customs at the Cochin International Airport in Kerala busted a gold smuggling attempt, using a method that has not been reported till now.
Smuggling gold is one crime that keeps airport authorities across the world on their toes. People smuggling it find various bizarre means and ways to get it across without being caught despite the fact that airports have stringent security rules.
Now, customs officials at the Delhi airport have seized around 7 kg of gold worth ₹ 2.95 crore, an official statement issued on Tuesday said. But, how? Here’s the intriguing story.
How was it smuggled?
According to officials, three persons travelling to India from Sharjah were apprehended for carrying about 7 kgs of undisclosed gold worth Rs 2.96 crores recently. The precious metal was being smuggled in a powdered format converted into a paste-like substance as was concealed in the body-shaper bands and hand baggage by the passengers.
The detailed examination of the baggage and personal search of the passengers resulted in the recovery of seven rectangular-shaped pouches containing the chemical paste, appearing to be gold and weighing 7.763 kg in total, it said.
Out of the total consignment seized, which weighed 7.763 kg, about 6.64 kg of gold has been extracted. The powdered gold converted into a paste format was packed in thin rectangular-shaped pouches and was hidden in the body and hand baggage. The pouches were hidden in the pockets of the body shaper bands kept in the handbag.
Around 6.67 kg gold was extracted from this paste which was moulded into 19 uneven rectangular bars of gold having a value of ₹ 2.95 crore, said the statement issued by the customs.
The accused were intercepted after they arrived from Sharjah on October 28. The gold has been seized and the passengers have been arrested, it said, without sharing further details of the accused.
Gold-dipped wet towels packed in a bag
Earlier in October, the Air Intelligence Unit (AIU) of Customs at the Cochin International Airport in Kerala busted a gold smuggling attempt, using a method that has not been reported till now. Fahad, 26, a native of Thrissur, had arrived at Kochi airport from Dubai on Spice Jet (SG 54) on October 10.
During the screening, it was found that Fahad had some wet towels inside his bag. Suspecting something was amiss, customs officials asked Fahad about the wet towel, but he told them that he had taken a shower before leaving for the airport.
“Fahad tried to smuggle gold by dipping bath towels in liquid gold and then packing them well. Then the customs officers inspected, five bath towels dipped in gold were seized from his bag,” a customs official said.
Similar case in the past
In April 2022, a passenger arriving from Abu Dhabi was caught by the customs officials at Delhi Airport after he was allegedly caught smuggling gold worth Rs 30 lakh. The man was hiding the gold under his wig and in his rectum. He was nabbed at Terminal 3 of the IGI airport, according to Customs Commissioner’s Office.
The statement by Delhi customs further revealed that a detailed personal and baggage search of the passenger resulted in the recovery of three pouches wrapped with an adhesive tape having a gross weight of 686 grams which were concealed inside the wig worn by him (one pouch) and inside his rectum (two capsule-shaped pouches).
