Customs officials in Chennai, India, confiscated Dh76,550 ($20,800) worth of gold hidden inside DVD players by a passenger arriving from Dubai.
The gold, weighing 385 grams, was found when custom officers examined the passenger’s check-in baggage.
Chennai Customs tweeted about the incident on Saturday, but did not say whether the passenger was detained or arrested.
“On October 28, custom officers intercepted a passenger who arrived from Dubai by EK546,” the tweet said.
“On examination of check-in baggage, gold weighing 385 grams valued at ₹17.15 lakh (Dh75,550) concealed in CD/DVD writer and electronic goods and cigarettes valued at ₹3.15 lakh (Dh14,060) were recovered/seized.”
Chennai Customs reported another case on Saturday, in which a passenger from Dubai was caught with 525 grams of gold.
“Custom officers intercepted a passenger who arrived from Dubai by EK-542 on October 29,” officials said.
“On examination of his person, gold weighing 525 grams valued at ₹23.38 lakh (dh104,359) concealed in his body was recovered/seized.”
The incidents are the latest in a string of attempts by travellers to avoid India's 12.5 per cent import tax on gold.
Confiscations at Delhi, Mumbai and Kerala airports from people travelling from the Gulf have become common. Officers have discovered gold in a juicer, wrapped into belts and in mobile phones.
A number of people were arrested last year at Chennai International Airport for a similar smuggling attempt involving wigs.
Brazen airline smuggling attempts: 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
