Passenger nabbed with 115 smuggled gold

Delhi Customs said on May 16 that officers at Indira Gandhi International Airport in New Delhi had arrested an American national of Indian origin after seizing 115 smuggled gold bars concealed in a specially designed belt and in inner trouser pockets. The Air Intelligence Unit intercepted the passenger at the international arrival terminal after he arrived from San Francisco on May 15, according to multiple reports citing customs officials. The seized gold weighed 3,565 grams, or about 3.5 kilograms. Indian media reports, citing officials, valued the haul at roughly 55 million to 57 million rupees. ### Where was the gold found? Delhi Customs said the gold was hidden in a modified belt and in specially designed inner pockets of the passenger’s trousers. Reports from India Today, Mint and ANI said officers recovered 115 bars after intelligence-led screening and inspection at the airport. (timesofindia.indiatimes.com) The Indira Gandhi International Airport customs setup says it handles passenger and baggage clearance at the arrival and departure terminals using risk-based passenger profiling, according to the Delhi Customs website. That matches the description in reports that the interception followed intelligence inputs and profiling by the Air Intelligence Unit. (indiatoday.in) ### Who was the passenger and what route did he take? Indian media reports identified the passenger only as an American national of Indian origin. Hindustan Times said he was 44 years old, while customs officials quoted by several outlets said he had arrived in New Delhi from San Francisco. (delhicustoms.gov.in) May 15 was the date of interception cited in reports carried by ANI and other outlets. Customs announced the seizure publicly on May 16. ### How much gold was seized? The most consistent figure across reports was 115 bars weighing 3,565 grams. (hindustantimes.com) Times Now, India Today and ANI all carried that number, while some reports rounded the weight to 3.5 kilograms. (msn.com) The valuation varied slightly by outlet. India Today put the estimated market value at 56 million rupees, while other reports cited more than 55 million rupees or about 57 million rupees. Those differences appear to reflect rounding and price assumptions in reports published on May 16 and May 17. (timesnownews.com) ### What law did customs use? Mint reported that the passenger was arrested under Section 104 of the Customs Act. Delhi Customs’ older press releases on the same airport’s seizures show a standard pattern in which officers seize the gold under Section 110 of the Customs Act and arrest passengers in smuggling cases under the Act’s enforcement provisions. (indiatoday.in) Delhi Customs did not publicly identify the passenger in the material available through news reports and searchable website results reviewed for this story. The department’s public contact page lists the Office of the Commissioner of Customs at IGI Airport, Terminal 3, New Delhi, as the relevant airport authority. ### Why did officials say this seizure stood out? (livemint.com) Hindustan Times reported that senior customs officials linked the case to a sharp rise in smuggling attempts observed over the previous week. Other reports said the seizure came after a recent increase in customs duty on gold, from 6% to 15%, though that explanation was attributed to officials quoted in those reports rather than set out in a directly accessible customs release. (delhicustoms.gov.in) Delhi Customs’ own website says airport passenger screening relies on risk-based profiling. In this case, officials said the next formal step was arrest under the Customs Act after the May 15 interception at IGI Airport. (delhicustoms.gov.in) (hindustantimes.com)