Ahmedabad, Oct 27 (IANS) Ahmedabad Customs officials seized 495.04 grams of 24-carat gold worth Rs 72.28 lakh from a passenger arriving from Sharjah at Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport (SVPIA) on Tuesday after detecting gold paste concealed beneath a plastic sheet inside a trolley bag.
The Air Intelligence Unit (AIU) intercepted the passenger on October 27 after profiling passengers arriving on Air Arabia flight G9-418 from Sharjah, according to Customs.
During X-ray screening of the passenger’s checked-in baggage, officers noticed a suspicious image.
A detailed examination revealed an additional layer or patch inside the trolley bag. When the bag was opened, officers removed its inner plastic layer and found a thin, black-coloured plastic sheet pasted along its inner side.
Gold paste had been uniformly concealed beneath the sheet, the release stated. Officers carefully extracted the material and melted it to recover 495.04 grams of 24-carat gold, with a market value of Rs 72,28,574.
The recovered gold was seized under the relevant provisions of the Customs Act, 1962, and the passenger was arrested under the Act. Further investigation is underway.
The seizure comes amid a series of gold smuggling cases detected at Ahmedabad airport, where officials have found gold concealed in luggage and other everyday items.
On October 19, Customs officials seized 133.45 grams of 24-carat gold worth around Rs 20.12 lakh from a passenger arriving from Dubai.
The gold paste was concealed beneath a cloth patch inside a trolley bag and was recovered after officers examined the suspicious section of the luggage.
In another case reported on October 16, a passenger arriving from Abu Dhabi was arrested after officials found 282.9 grams of 24-carat gold worth Rs 42.5 lakh concealed in metal strips fitted to three trolley bags.
The strips contained six gold wires coated with white rhodium, which were recovered during a detailed examination of the luggage.
Separately, the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence announced on October 19 that it had dismantled an alleged gold smuggling syndicate operating through Ahmedabad and Surat airports.
The investigation involved 13.017 kg of foreign-origin gold valued at approximately Rs 19.41 crore, with three people arrested.
The latest seizure at Ahmedabad airport is being investigated further by Customs officials.
–IANS
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