Customs officials seize 473 gm gold at IGIA hidden inside wheels of trolley bag

New Delhi, April 7 (IANS) The Customs department on Monday busted a meticulously planned operation to sneak in around half kg of gold into Delhi via Indira Gandhi International Airport (IGIA). The authorities apprehended the smuggler, after receiving a certain Intelligence input and recovered gold worth lakhs.

Around 473 grams of gold was recovered by the Customs officials, however, the clever modus operandi used to smuggle it has left everyone surprised. The gold was hidden in multiple small rods and placed inside the wheels of a trolley bag to avoid detection.

The accused, travelling from Kolkata to Delhi, attempted to smuggle the gold into Delhi by concealing it inside the stakes and wheels of his trolley bag. He was travelling on Flight No 6E-5198 and was intercepted on the domestic side of Terminal 3 of IGIA.

The passenger was apprehended and his baggage checked after Custom officials, who had been tipped off earlier, grew suspicious over his movement at the airport.

The department also took to social media to reveal the modus operandi of the gold smuggler.

“A detailed personal search and baggage examination led to the recovery of eight mercury-coated hollow rods, two mercury-coated rings, and one mercury-coated rod, ingeniously concealed inside the wheels and the hollow metallic rod of a trolley bag,” said the Customs dept in a post on X.

“The total weight of the recovered material is 488 grams. After melting, 473 grams of gold was recovered,” it added.

The Custom officials are grilling the accused and conducting a further probe to find out the name of the recipient in the national Capital, who was about to receive the smuggled gold.

Days ago, in another incident, the Custom officials had recovered 282 grams of gold after they apprehended a passenger arriving from Bangkok. Suspicious images were observed when his baggage was scanned, prompting the officials to further examine it.

“A detailed examination of the baggage led to the recovery of two pouches containing yellow-coloured chemical paste,” it informed.

--IANS

mr/rad