The Customs Department on Tuesday morning arrested a female passenger arriving on a flight from Jeddah for attempting to smuggle gold at Sardar Vallabhbhai International (SVPI) Airport in the city. Another passenger was also nabbed after arriving on a flight from Kuwait.
Acting on suspicion, customs officers stopped the woman, who had arrived from Jeddah wearing two bangles (kadas). During questioning, it was revealed that she was attempting to smuggle two 24-carat gold bangles, each weighing 440 grams. The authorities seized both bangles.
After the Jeddah flight, another flight arrived from Kuwait. On this flight, a passenger was found to be smuggling a 24-carat gold ingot in his bag. Upon interrogation, the passenger admitted that he was attempting to smuggle the gold ingot. In total, the customs authorities at Ahmedabad Airport seized smuggled gold worth Rs. 48.41 lakhs, consisting of two 440-gram gold bangles and a 174-gram gold ingot.