NEW DELHI: About 7 kilograms of gold worth nearly Rs 3 crores were seized by the officials at Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International airport, sources in the Delhi Air Customs confirmed.
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 yellow 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.
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 quadrilateral pouches and was hidden in the body and hand baggage. The sleuth acting on a tip-off apprehended the three passengers who were intercepted following possession of suspicious items in seven pouches. Further body searches revealed a total of 21 pouches in which the gold was attempted to be smuggled into India from the UAE. The pouches were hidden in the body shaper bands worn under the dress.
The three passengers who arrived at terminal 3 of IGI Airport, from Sharjah on October 27 by UAE by Flight No. G9 463, were subsequently arrested after the authorities formally executed and documented the seizure. The investigation is currently in progress and the arrested persons are being questioned on the origin and destination of the seized consignment. The identities of the arrested persons were not disclosed in wake of the ongoing investigation.