Three separate gold smuggling attempts from the UAE to India have been foiled in recent weeks by customs officials at Indira Gandhi International Airport in New Delhi.
Officials recovered gold concealed inside trolley bag linings, hidden in passengers' socks and disguised as silver chains.
In the biggest case, officials seized 6.5kg of gold valued at around Dh3.8 million. The accused sprayed the gold chains with silver and black paint and hid them under seats on Emirates flight EK-514 from Dubai to Delhi. Airport police arrested eight passengers and remanded them to judicial custody.
On October 10, customs officers intercepted a passenger arriving from Sharjah and recovered 241g of 99.31 per cent pure gold. The passenger moulded the gold and hid it as wire linings in the corners of two trolley bags. A video posted by Delhi Customs shows an official cutting through the seams of the passenger's red bags to extract the rod-like gold.
The recovered gold was valued at approximately Dh149,000. Customs seized the gold, and further investigation is under way.
On the same day, customs officers at Terminal 3 intercepted an Indian passenger arriving from Muscat on Oman Air flight WY-241. The passenger had travelled from Dubai to Muscat on connecting flight WY-612 on October 9.
A personal search found two rectangular pouches containing gold paste concealed inside his socks. The pouches weighed 725g gross, including wrapping and concealment material. After finding gold in his socks, officials also recovered a 587g gold bar. A karatometer test confirmed 100 per cent purity.
Customs assessed the gold’s tariff value at approximately Dh323,000 and its market value at approximately Dh364,000. The passenger told investigators the gold was brought from Dubai and concealed to avoid declaring it and paying customs duty. Customs seized the gold under Section 110(1) of the Customs Act, 1962.
Delhi Customs has reiterated its vigilance against smuggling and its commitment to strengthening enforcement at the country’s busiest international airport.
According to a Reuters report in July, unofficial gold inflows in India have risen since the government raised import tariffs on the precious metal earlier this year. The World Gold Council said grey market inflows and the disruption they cause are hurting organised players.
India, the world's biggest gold consumer after China, more than doubled import tariffs to 15 per cent on May 13 to curb demand, cut the trade deficit and ease pressure on the currency.
India's net gold imports fell 23 per cent year-on-year to 98.1 tonnes in the June quarter, the lowest quarterly level since September 2020, when Covid lockdowns curbed demand, the WGC said in a report.
