New Delhi, May 21: Customs officials at Indira Gandhi International (IGI) Airport, New Delhi, have busted two separate gold smuggling attempts and seized a total of 396 grams of gold concealed inside chocolate packets carried by passengers arriving from Riyadh.
According to Customs officials, the operation was carried out by the Preventive Shift team at IGI Airport based on spot profiling of passengers arriving on a Flynas flight from Riyadh.
Gold Hidden Inside Chocolate Packets
During screening at the Green Channel, both passengers were diverted for X-ray examination of their baggage after officials grew suspicious during profiling.
Upon scanning the baggage, Customs officers noticed suspicious images inside chocolate packets carried by the passengers.
The packets were detained on suspicion that gold dust had been concealed inside them and were subsequently sent for detailed examination and recovery.
Furnace Recovery Reveals 396 Grams Gold
Officials said that after furnace recovery procedures were conducted, gold concealed in dust form was extracted from the chocolate packets.
A total of: 200 grams of gold in one case and 196 grams of gold in another case, was recovered, taking the total seizure to 396 grams of gold of 999.9 purity.
The recovered gold has been seized under the provisions of the Customs Act, 1962.
Customs authorities confirmed that cases have been registered against both passengers and further investigation is currently underway to identify possible smuggling links and networks involved in the operation.
