Customs at the Indira Gandhi International Airport (IGIA) on Tuesday arrested a man and an Air India (AI) SATS employee for allegedly trying to smuggle into the country gold worth more than Rs 55 lakh. Officers said the accused passenger had landed from Dubai and was supposed to hand over the gold to the airline staffer, who would have transported it outside the airport.
The incident came to the fore around 3 am, when the passenger, holding an Indian passport, arrived at the airport by an Emirates flight. Following a tip-off, the Customs sleuths intercepted him at the green channel.
"He was asked to cooperate in frisking and baggage checking, during which as much as 1.9 kg gold was recovered from his possession in the form of 13 gold bars, 4 small pieces and 19 medallions. The total value of the recovered gold was Rs 55.63 lakh. During questioning, the passenger told officers that he was a carrier and had been asked to hand over the gold to an AI SATS employee working at the airport," a senior Customs officer said.
Based on the statement of the accused, the airline staffer was also arrested and both are now being questioned. It is also being investigated if there is a bigger gold smuggling syndicate, the officer said.
Customs Commissioner (IGIA) Sanjay Mangal said: "The gold recovered was seized under Section 110 of the Customs Act, 1962, and both men were arrested under Section 104. The matter is being probed further."
