Ahmedabad, July 22 (IANS) Ahmedabad Customs on Wednesday seized 770.33 grams of 24-carat gold worth more than Rs 1.13 crore and arrested a tour operator after officers intercepted him and his client passengers arriving from Abu Dhabi, in what investigators suspect was an organised attempt to smuggle the precious metal into India.
Acting on specific intelligence, officers of the Air Intelligence Unit (AIU) of Ahmedabad Customs intercepted a male tour operator travelling with his client passengers after they arrived at Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport (SVPIA) on Flight 3L-111 from Abu Dhabi on July 21.
During a detailed examination, Customs officers recovered 24-carat gold items comprising chains, pendants and beads weighing a total of 770.33 grams.
The gold, with an estimated market value of Rs 1,13,85,477, was allegedly concealed in the passengers’ pockets.
According to the Customs Department, preliminary investigation indicated that the gold had allegedly been handed over to the passengers by the tour operator for clandestine smuggling into India.
The recovered gold was seized under the provisions of the Customs Act, 1962.
The tour operator was subsequently arrested under the same Act.
Further investigation is in progress to establish the full circumstances of the alleged smuggling attempt and identify any wider network involved.
The seizure is the latest in a series of gold smuggling cases detected at Ahmedabad airport, particularly on routes from the Gulf.
Earlier this month, Ahmedabad Customs seized 729 grams of gold jewellery worth Rs 98.78 lakh from a woman passenger arriving from Abu Dhabi after officers allegedly found the gold concealed in her handbag and beneath her garments.
The investigation in that case was launched to determine whether she was linked to a larger smuggling network.
In another case reported last week, AIU officers recovered 233 grams of 24-carat gold valued at Rs 34.29 lakh from a woman passenger who had allegedly concealed two gold bars inside her burqa after arriving from Abu Dhabi.
The gold was seized under the Customs Act, 1962, and further investigation was initiated.
Authorities have also uncovered more sophisticated concealment methods in recent months.
In June, Customs officers recovered 2.799 kg of foreign-origin gold worth more than Rs 4.26 crore hidden inside the speaker box of an IndiGo aircraft that had arrived from Dubai, with investigators suspecting an organised smuggling operation.
–IANS
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