Man held with HD cameras worth Rs 41 lakh at Delhi airport

The customs department has arrested a passenger with high-definition video cameras worth Rs 41 lakh from Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International Airport (IGIA).

The customs department has arrested a passenger with high-definition video cameras worth Rs 41 lakh from Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International Airport (IGIA).

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The passenger, identified as Ashok Kumar, was coming from Singapore and was stopped by the customs official while he was trying to exit from the green channel.
“Kumar arrived on a Singapore airlines flight and on the basis of profiling we stopped him for checking. In his registered baggage, 16 HD video cameras and two designer digital cameras were recovered. He had removed the packing of the cameras,” said a senior customs official requesting anonymity.

The passenger was arrested under the customs act and the cameras were seized from him.

During interrogation, Kumar told officials that each camera can be sold for R3.5 lakh to R4 lakh in India while they are available in Singapore for R1.5 lakh. “If they try to bring it through proper channel, the duty is huge and their margin will reduce significantly. For a huge margin, shopkeepers indulge in smuggling as they earn R1 to R2 lakh per camera,” the customs official added.

Last year, too, a passenger coming from Singapore was arrested while trying to smuggle in cameras, officials said. “Those who stay in Singapore for 3-4 days and visit regularly are kept under special watch,” he further said.