Gold Smuggling Ring Busted at Delhi Airport

Customs officials at Delhi's IGI Airport intercepted passengers smuggling gold bars, valued over Rs 22 lakh, from Riyadh. Another case involved passengers from Kazakhstan hiding gold worth Rs 72.72 lakh. Investigations are ongoing, highlighting heightened security measures and crackdowns on smuggling activities.

In a major crackdown on smuggling activities, customs officials at Indira Gandhi International Airport have intercepted a passenger traveling from Riyadh with concealed gold bars worth over Rs 22 lakh. The gold, cleverly hidden in an adapter, was detected during routine security checks using X-ray scans.

The male passenger, an Indian national, arrived in New Delhi on December 15 and was immediately flagged for additional inspection. Customs authorities discovered two gold bars weighing a total of 300 grams. This discovery comes on the heels of another incident where a domestic traveler from Indore was caught with nearly 999 grams of gold, worth approximately Rs 72.72 lakh.

In a separate incident, customs officials reported the interception of three male passengers from Almaty, Kazakhstan, attempting to smuggle gold into the country. The passengers, who were Uzbek nationals, admitted to concealing eight irregularly shaped gold pieces within their bodies. All cases are currently under investigation, as authorities intensify efforts to curb smuggling activities.

(With inputs from agencies.)