Customs officials at Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport in Ahmedabad seized 24 foreign-origin gold biscuits weighing 2,799.3 grams and valued at Rs 4.26 crore after they were found concealed inside an IndiGo aircraft that had arrived from Dubai, IANS reported.The seizure was made during rummaging operations conducted on IndiGo flight 6E-1478 following its arrival from Dubai, officials said on Friday, as per IANS report. Gold recovered from lavatory concealment With the assistance of aircraft engineers, Customs officers carried out a detailed search of the aircraft and recovered two pouches wrapped in black plastic tape from a speaker box located in the front lavatory.Upon examination, the pouches were found to contain 24 gold biscuits of 999.0 purity, equivalent to 24 carat gold, with a combined weight of 2,799.3 grams. Officials said the seized gold has a domestic market value of ₹4,26,89,325.— ANI (@ANI) Smuggling attempt suspectedAccording to Customs authorities who spoke to IANS, the method used to conceal the gold indicated an attempt to smuggle it into India in violation of the Customs Act, 1962.Officials told IANS that the contraband appeared to have been hidden by an unidentified individual. As no person came forward to claim ownership of the recovered gold, it was seized as unclaimed under the relevant provisions of the Customs Act.Also Read: 300+ gold bars, $2 million in cash, 35 luxury watches seized from ex-CIA officer accused of running fake classified programmeInvestigation underwayCustoms officials said further investigation is underway to identify those responsible for the smuggling attempt and to determine whether the case is linked to a wider network operating on Gulf routes.Part of a series of seizuresThe latest recovery adds to a series of gold smuggling cases detected at Ahmedabad airport.In February this year, Customs officers intercepted a passenger arriving from Dubai and recovered 601.9 grams of 24-carat gold valued at ₹96.06 lakh, including gold allegedly concealed in paste form inside his underwear.In a separate case reported the same month, officials apprehended four women passengers arriving from Jeddah and seized 945.57 grams of 24-carat gold jewellery valued at ₹1.52 crore. The jewellery, comprising rhodium-coated chains and bangles, was allegedly concealed to avoid detection.Authorities noted that Ahmedabad airport has witnessed a steady stream of gold smuggling attempts in recent years.
Ahmedabad customs recover smuggled gold worth over Rs 4 crore from flight arriving from Dubai
Ahmedabad customs officials intercepted a significant gold haul. The precious metal was discovered concealed within a speaker box on IndiGo Flight 6E-1478. The flight had arrived from Dubai. The gold, weighing nearly 2.8 kilograms, was found in two pouches. No one claimed ownership, leading to its seizure under the Customs Act, 1962.










