Customs officials at Ahmedabad airport seized more than 2.7 kg of gold hidden inside the toilet of an aircraft.
The incident occurred on board IndiGo flight 6E-1478, which arrived at Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport (SVPI) in Ahmedabad from Dubai.
The seizure was made after customs officials conducted a detailed search with the help of aircraft engineers.
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The gold was hidden in a black plastic strip inside the speaker box located in the plane’s front toilet, ANI reported.
The 24 gold cookies were 24-karat gold and weighed a total of 2,799.3 grams. The value of gold in the Indian market is estimated at approximately $4.26 Crores.
A video has emerged showing customs officials taking apart the wall-mounted speaker box and taking out gold biscuits neatly wrapped in black ribbon. Another video clip showed officials tearing the packaged plastic tape and taking out the gold bars.
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The officials said that the method of concealment indicates that the gold was hidden with the aim of smuggling it to India. The seized gold was classified as unclaimed and confiscated under the Customs Act of 1962.
“The method of concealment indicates that an unknown person concealed the gold with the intention of smuggling it into India in violation of the provisions of the Customs Act, 1962. Since no person came forward to claim the legal ownership of the seized gold, it was seized as unclaimed under the relevant provisions of the Customs Act, 1962,” the agency quoted customs officials as saying.
Ahmedabad Customs has now initiated a detailed investigation into the seizure.
