NEW DELHI: A passenger from Dubai who smuggled 170 grams of gold inside the cap of a bottle he was carrying has been caught by Customs officials at Indira Gandhi International Airport on Saturday.
The metal, valued at Rs 20 lakh, has been seized from his possession.
According to a release by the Customs department, the passenger of Indian origin arrived by flight AI-996 on Saturday (October 25). “The passenger was discreetly followed from the flight gate and intercepted while attempting to exit through the green channel,” it said.
During the X-ray screening of his baggage, officers noticed suspicious images. Upon detailed examination, gold in circular form was ingeniously concealed under the cap of a plastic bottle, he said.
"The recovered gold, weighing 170 grams, was seized under the provisions of the Customs Act, 1962. Further investigation into the matter is underway,” it added.
This is the second successive seizure of gold in the airport. Nearly 1 kg of gold valued at nearly Rs 1 crore was seized a day earlier from a woman flyer who came from Myanmar on Friday.
The flyer from Myanmar’s Yangon was foiled in her attempt to smuggle 996.5 grams of gold by concealing it in her undergarment. It was hidden in the form of six rectanglular bars concealed with a brown colour tape, said another statement from the Customs.