Two passengers arriving from Jeddah and Riyadh were apprehended for smuggling gold at the Indira Gandhi International Airport (IGIA), Customs officials said on Monday.
According to Customs officials, in the first case, a passenger arriving from Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, was intercepted at Terminal 3 of IGIA.
During the scrutiny, officials recovered three oval-shaped capsules containing a yellow chemical paste suspected to be gold. The capsules, weighing 1,063 grams (including concealing material), were found concealed in the rectal cavity.
The total seized gold, weighing 974 grams, has a market value of Rs 72.07 lakh. The passenger was charged under Sections 132 and 135 of the Customs Act, 1962. The smuggled gold was seized under Section 110, and the passenger was subsequently arrested.
In another incident, a 32-year-old passenger arriving from Riyadh was intercepted after crossing the Green Channel of Customs.
X-ray scanning revealed suspicious images, and during a manual check, officials recovered three silver-coated yellow metal pieces hidden inside metallic flasks and another piece concealed in a metal tea container.
A total of 467 grams of 24-carat gold, valued at Rs 34.67 lakh, disguised as silver-coated items, was recovered from his possession. The passenger was taken into custody, and an investigation into the matter is ongoing, an official said.