Customs officials in Delhi have found gold worth $55,000 hidden in the seat of an aircraft coming from Abu Dhabi.
The 938 grams of gold paste was concealed in the piping of the seat and discovered during an inspection by authorities at Indira Gandhi International Airport.
“Air Customs@ IGI Airport rummaged an aircraft which had earlier come from Abu Dhabi and recovered gold in paste form concealed in the piping of a seat,” Delhi Customs tweeted on Monday.
“On extraction 938.25 gms of pure gold valued at Rs. 43.33 lakhs was extracted and was seized. Further investigations are being done.”
It was the latest recovery by customs officials at Indian airports who make regular seizures of gold smuggled into the country by passengers arriving from the Gulf.
The officials did not give out any details about the flight or the passenger.
Passengers are often caught trying to smuggle gold into the country to avoid paying import duties but officials are on alert to detect their ever-increasing ingenuity.
In previous attempts passengers hid gold inside clothing, electrical appliances, concealed in the lining of baggage, dentures and even worn under wigs.
Gold tax explained
The route from Dubai to India is a popular one for smugglers trying to avoid paying duty on the gold they import.
India charges 10.75 per cent of the value of gold taken into the country.
Men can import up to 20g of gold and female passengers are allowed to bring in 40g without paying tax.
Travellers who want to bring more gold into India must declare it on arrival at border control and pay import duty.
In addition to customs charges, the Indian government levies a goods and services tax on the manufacturing and services of gold.
Anyone buying gold must pay GST, as well as making charges, which adds a further 8 per cent to the total cost.
There is no limit on the amount of gold a person can export from the UAE and there are no taxes to be paid as you leave the country.
Gold smuggling in India - in pictures
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This passenger who travelled on a Dubai to Delhi flight was found to have smuggled melted gold taped to his bald head. He wore a wig to conceal it. Photo: Delhi Customs -
Customs officers at Delhi airport on April 17 seized 15 gold bars concealed in the socks of a passenger who disembarked a flight from Dubai. The bars weighed 1,747 grams and would be worth more than $100,000, meaning the passenger was avoiding paying thousands of dollars in import tax. Photo: Delhi Customs -
Delhi Customs said a passenger who came off a flight from Dubai was found to have melted down this 443 gram bar of gold into a paste and wrapped it around his legs. Photo: Delhi Customs -
A huge gold chain was confiscated from a passenger who was wearing more than the permitted gold allowance. He was further found to have tried to smuggle several bars through Delhi airport to avoid paying thousands of dollars in import duty. Photo: Delhi Customs -
A customs officer tears open a hidden compartment of a suitcase to find a large amount of undeclared currency in Saudi riyals and UAE dirhams. The passenger, who landed in Delhi on a flight from Dubai, was detained. Photo: Delhi Customs
