Delhi Customs seize outbound undeclared diamonds valued at Rs 1.56 cr

The consignment was of diamonds having 1,082-carat weight

The Finance Ministry on Friday said the Delhi Customs seized a consignment of diamonds having 1,082-carat weight being sent out of India.

The officers of Air Cargo Export Commissionerate, Delhi on the basis of suspicion, examined a consignment declared as plastic hot fix' with a value of Rs 5,000, an official statement said.

On examination, it said, a packet containing pouches of cut and polished diamonds was found concealed very ingeniously in the packets of plastic hot fix'.

"The packet of diamonds also had the hotfix pasted on it to avoid detection. The detected diamonds are valued at Rs 1.56 crore," according to the statement.

The said consignment was destined for Hong Kong, it said, adding this appears to be a unique case of sending diamonds out of the country through concealment in the parcels through air cargo.

This is one of the largest seizures of the polished diamond at Air Cargo Export, Delhi, in recent times and further, investigations are on, it said.