New Delhi: Man held for smuggling gold worth Rs 30 lk at Delhi airport

A man was caught smuggling gold worth nearly Rs. 30 lakh at the Delhi airport after his arrival from Moscow, Russia. He was found with gold bars and gold wires by concealing them under his clothes, the Customs officials reportedly said on Thursday. The man, who landed at the Indira Gandhi International Airport from Moscow, was questioned by the officers of Air Customs (Preventive) on Sunday.

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Gold smuggling

A detailed search revealed that he was carrying six gold bars and four gold wires. According to the officials, the seized gold weighed around 794 gram, costing a market value of approximately Rs. 29,96,079. The gold has been seized and the passenger arrested under relevant provisions of the Customs Act, the officials reportedly said. As of  June-April quarter, customs officials have seized 1,197.7 kg of smuggled gold, a 23% increase than the year 2018. It is expected to rise in the coming months as India raised its import tax on gold to 12.5% in July's budget. Gold smuggling has also lead to an increase in illegal forex transactions used to finance smuggled gold, an official reportedly said.

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Similar incident

In a similar incident, a man returning from Dubai was held at Delhi airport for allegedly smuggling gold worth Rs. 22 lakh. He landed at Delhi airport on September 3, after which he was intercepted by Customs officials for crossing the Green Channel. A baggage search resulted in revealing gold weighing around 1,200 gm concealed in jeans worn by the man. After extraction, 567 gm of gold with a market value of Rs 22,49,856 was recovered.

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The Green channel system is for passengers not having dutiable goods, while the Red Channel indicates for the people carrying dutiable goods. The two-channel system was adopted or the purpose of Customs clearance of arriving passengers

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