2 held at IGI Airport with gold bars worth nearly Rs 3 crore

Two Indians have been arrested at the airport here after their return from Thailand for allegedly smuggling over nine kg gold bars worth nearly Rs 3 crore, Customs officials said on Friday.

The duo, who arrived at the Terminal-3 of IGI Airport on Wednesday from Bangkok, was intercepted by the Customs after they had crossed the Green Channel, they said.

Personal and baggage search of the passengers resulted in the recovery of 12 pieces of gold bars, weighing 9,152 gms, and four small pieces of gold bars weighing 265 gms wrapped with the red colour adhesive tape and concealed inside the check-in-baggage, the officials said.

The value of the recovered gold weighing 9,417 gms is Rs 2,93,44,555, they said, adding that the yellow metal bars were seized and the two were arrested, they said.

Both the persons admitted to have smuggled 60 kgs of gold worth approximately Rs 16.80 crore between January 2018 to July 2019, they said.

Follow-up raids were carried out at four premises in north, central and south Delhi, the officials added.

For the purpose of Customs clearance of arriving passengers, a two-channel system has been adopted under which the Green Channel is for passengers not having any dutiable goods while the Red Channel for those having dutiable goods.