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An Air India passenger was arrested at Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International Airport for smuggling gold worth ₹69 lakh (approximately $84,000). His unusual behavior during flight AI 992 from Jeddah to Delhi raised suspicion and ultimately led to his arrest.
Throughout the five-and-a-half-hour flight, the man consistently refused all refreshments offered by the flight attendants, including water. This refusal prompted the flight attendant to report his behavior to the captain, who then alerted security agencies via Air Traffic Control.
Upon the flight’s arrival in Delhi, security personnel closely monitored the passenger. As he attempted to pass through the Green Customs Clearance Channel, he was stopped for questioning. During the interrogation, the man admitted to concealing gold in his rectum. The gold, in the form of paste worth over ₹69 lakh (approximately $84,000), was hidden in four oval capsules.
Joint Commissioner (Customs) Monika Yadav confirmed the recovery of approximately 1096.76 grams of gold from the passenger. He was arrested under relevant sections of the Customs Act, and an investigation into the incident has been launched.
This arrest follows a significant gold smuggling bust earlier this year at Chennai airport, where a souvenir shop was exposed as a front for a Sri Lankan smuggling syndicate. The shop’s owner, a YouTuber named Mohammed Sabir Ali, was arrested for his involvement in smuggling 267 kg of gold worth ₹167 crore (approximately $20.3 million) over two months.
Source: https://www.hindustantimes.com
