Customs officials in Delhi confiscate gold worth $337,000 smuggled from Dubai

Three Indian citizens arrested after airport security spot hidden gold

The team responsible for the detection of the smuggled gold. Three suspects were arrested under the Customs Act. Photo: Delhi Customs

Indian citizens on a flight from Dubai were arrested in Delhi after trying to smuggle gold worth almost $337,000 into the country.

Customs officials seized 6.5 kilograms of gold bars at Indira Gandhi International Airport and posted images of the haul on Thursday.

While there are no fees on the amount of gold that can be exported from Dubai, India has a 10.5 per cent goods and service tax applied to any pure gold imported into the country.

By smuggling the gold ingots on an unnamed flight from Dubai, the three suspects were hoping to save about $35,000 in taxes.

Airport officials regularly recover gold from passengers hoping to avoid paying duty.

On June 24, the same airport team recovered 1.3kg of gold worth about $85,000 from an Indian passenger, also arriving from Dubai.

The man had hidden three gold ingots in his clothing, with officials arresting him on landing after passenger profiling.