Indore: Sharjah Passenger Caught Smuggling Gold Worth ₹20 Lakh Cleverly Molded Inside Her Legging

Indore (Madhya Pradesh): The Customs Department seized gold worth Rs 20 lakh from a female passenger who arrived from Sharjah on Tuesday. The gold was cleverly molded into a fine powder and concealed in a legging she was wearing during the trip.

On the basis of specific intelligence developed with profiling, the Air Intelligence Unit (AIU) of the Indore Customs Commissionerate identified and intercepted one female passenger arriving from Sharjah to Indore from flight Air India Express AXB 256 dated March 5, 2024. 

The said passenger is a freelance beautician, a resident of Delhi, traveling from Sharjah to Indore, and on being questioned, she stated that she was carrying gold for monetary consideration.

She was cleverly carrying gold in powdery form, sprayed, pasted, stitched, and concealed between the layers of cloth in the leggings she was wearing during the trip. 

The total recovery of foreign-origin gold was 368.5 gms, with a value (as per the customs rate) of approximately  Rs. 20.20 lakh.

Further investigation is underway.

The smuggling of gold in any form is restricted under the Customs Act, 1962.

Last week, the Customs Commissionerate of Indore disposed of 40.6 lakh foreign-origin cigaret sticks by way of incineration at Siltara Raipur. These foreign-origin cigarettes were brought illegally to India and were also not compliant with the Legal Metrology (Packaged Commodities) Rules 2011 framed under the Legal Metrology Act 2009. 

Further, on February 29, 2024, Customs, Indore (Bhopal Zone) also handed over seven antiques to ASI Bhopal, which were going to be smuggled from Shivpuri (MP) to abroad and which were intercepted and seized by Customs.

In the past few months, Customs Indore has been regularly intercepting and seizing foreign-origin gold from suspected passengers and exposing the modus operandi of a gold smuggling syndicate at DABH Airport, Indore.

In the last four months, Indore Customs have successfully intercepted eight suspects at DABH Airport, Indore, and seized 3.41 kg of foreign-origin gold with a value of Rs. 1.82 crore, along with the seizure of i-phones and foreign-origin cigarettes.