E-Paper
$15,500, 523g gold, ₹45.8 lakh jewellery seized at Delhi airport
In one case, the foreign currency was concealed in a false bottom of the baggage and inside the cap of a casserole.
Delhi Customs officials at Indira Gandhi International Airport in New Delhi have intercepted passengers in three separate cases, recovering $15,500 concealed in checked-in baggage, 523 grams of 24-carat gold hidden inside a cookware lid, and gold jewellery weighing 326 grams and valued at ₹45.86 lakh.
The recoveries were made on August 14 and 17 during interceptions based on specific intelligence received from the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI).
Dollars hidden in casserole
In the first case, on August 17, 2026, acting on specific information from the DRI, Customs officers intercepted a Dubai-bound passenger travelling on flight AI-4309.
A thorough examination of the passenger's checked-in baggage led to the recovery of $15,500. The foreign currency was concealed in a false bottom of the baggage and inside the cap of a casserole.
“Sharp coordination between agencies, seamless detection by Customs,” Delhi Customs said in a post on X.
A case has been registered and further investigation is underway.
523 grams of gold in cookware
In another case on August 17, Customs officers intercepted a passenger travelling from Riyadh to Mumbai and then onward to Delhi on flight 6E-315 at Terminal 1 of IGI Airport.
According to Customs, the interception was made based on intelligence developed through profiling. The passenger was carrying household goods, including a cookware set, in his checked-in baggage.
An X-ray screening of the baggage flagged suspicious images. A subsequent thorough examination led to the recovery of 15 cut pieces of 24-carat gold weighing 523 grams in net weight.
The gold was cleverly concealed inside the solid core of a cookware lid, Customs said.
“The passenger apprehended. Further investigation underway,” the department said.
Jewellery on passenger's person
In the third case, on August 14, Customs officers at IGI Airport intercepted an Uzbekistan passport holder arriving from Almaty on flight KC-907 through the Green Channel.
A detailed examination led to the recovery of 326 grams of gold jewellery valued at ₹45,86,469. The jewellery had been concealed on the passenger's person.
A case was booked under the Customs Act, 1962.
