Imported cigarettes, worth Rs. 78 lakh, seized in Delhi

The officer said they are trying to trace the source of the parcels and the addresses to which they were to be delivered.

The customs department at the foreign post office, ITO, has recovered a cache of cigarettes worth Rs. 78 lakh that was being imported from Cambodia through foreign post office in Delhi.

Packed as parcels, the cigarettes were declared as books, stationery items and gifts. (AP/Representative Image)

Packed as parcels, the cigarettes were declared as books, stationery items and gifts, officials said. The customs officers intercepted 17 parcels at the foreign post office, ITO, and found cigarettes hidden inside. “The parcels belonged to 10 consignees and were registered as books, stationery, handicraft items and gifts. While the parcels were being scanned for security purposes, following a tip-off, we noticed something suspicious. A thorough checking led to the recovery of cigarettes worth Rs 78.36 lakh,” a senior customs officer, who did not wish to be named, said.

The officer said they are trying to trace the source of the parcels and the addresses to which they were to be delivered.

In two separate incidents reported from the Indira Gandhi International Airport (IGIA), the customs arrested an Afghan man for allegedly trying to smuggle two gold bars worth Rs. 72.9 lakh by hiding them in his shoes on Monday. “As soon as he landed from Kabul, we asked him to cooperate for a detailed frisking and recovered two bars, weighing more than 2kg from his shoes,” a customs officer said. He runs a dry fruits shop in Kabul, officers said, adding that he had brought the gold to sell it in Delhi.

Amandeep Singh, additional commissioner customs, IGIA, said the man was arrested and the gold seized.

On Thursday, the customs arrested a 65-year-old man from Delhi for allegedly smuggling in eight pieces of gold by hiding them in his rectum. “The gold weighed a little more than 870 grams and was worth Rs. 31.86 lakh,” an officer said.