Man held at Delhi airport with diamond-studded watch worth ₹27 crore

Customs says the items have been seized under section 110 of Customs Act, 1962 and the passenger has been placed under arrest in terms of Section 104 of the Customs Act, 1962

An Indian national was arrested by Customs officers at Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International (IGI) Airport for trying to smuggle in seven wristwatches, a diamond-studded bracelet and an iPhone 14 Pro from Dubai, all approximately valued at ₹28.17 crore. Among the items was a customised Jacob & Co watch made entirely of gold and studded with diamonds valued at around ₹27.09 crore, officials said.

While the Jacob & Co watch makes up a large chunk of the total valuation of seized goods, the other watches were also high-end. (HT Photo)

Customs said the passenger arrived in Delhi from Dubai on October 4. Suspicious of his movements, officers examined the passenger and his luggage, resulting in the recovery of five Rolex Oyster watches, a Piaget Limelight Stella watch and the customised Jacob and Co. watch. In addition, a diamond-studded bracelet and iPhone 14 Pro (256 GB) model were also seized.

“While the Jacob & Co watch makes up a large chunk of the total valuation of seized goods, the other watches are also high-end. The Piaget watch is valued at around ₹30 lakh and the other watches are valued at around ₹15 lakh each,” a Customs officer said.

According to Customs, the items have been seized under Section 110 of Customs Act, 1962 and the passenger has been placed under arrest under Section 104 of the same Act. “The offence is non-bailable and is covered under Section 135 of the Customs Act, 1962,” the officer added.

Delhi airport Customs commissioner Zubair Riaz Kamili said, “This is the biggest seizure at the Delhi airport in terms of single-item value in the category of commercial or luxury goods. The value of the Jacob & Co watch is equivalent to seizing around 60kg of gold in one go,” he said.

Chief commissioner (Delhi Customs Zone) Surjit Bhujabal said alert customs officers at the Delhi airport made the seizure possible despite heavy passenger traffic.

“Indian Customs have always ensured maximum facilitation and minimal disturbance to genuine passengers. Simultaneously, we are ensuring the safeguard of economic frontiers by curbing smuggling,” Bhujabal said.