New Delhi: In a major operation at Indira Gandhi International Airport’s Terminal-3, Delhi Customs officials netted a whopping ₹5.42 crore in undeclared luxury loot from a US passport-holding woman who flew in from Hong Kong on Cathay Pacific flight CX-695.
According to sources, what started as routine screening turned into a jackpot for officials, who grew suspicious during mandatory X-ray checks and zeroed in on her baggage.
A thorough hand-search revealed 1.2 kg of gold and diamond-encrusted pieces, 10 kg of gleaming silver utensils, and a wristwatch collection fit for royalty—Rolex, Bvlgari, Chopard, and Cartier timepieces that scream opulence. Packets of foreign currency were also seized including 9,084 US dollars, 605 euros, and 2,540 Hong Kong dollars. All undeclared, these violated the Customs Act, 1962, triggering seizure under Section 110. The passenger faced immediate arrest under Section 104, her high-stakes gamble ending in cuffs.
“The total value of the seized items has been determined a
s ₹5.42 Cr and being undeclared in violation of the provisions of the Customs Act, 1962, were seized under Section 110 of the Customs Act, 1962,” Delhi Customs in a post on X said.
The statement added, “Further, during examination, domestically procured gold items having total weight of 552 grams, were not seized and returned to the passenger.”
The incident, which occurred on February 18, resulted in the arrest of the passenger under Section 104 of the Customs Act, 1962.
It is pertinent to mention that the Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs (CBIC) under Ministry of Finance released latest set of guidelines for travellers regarding customs duty free allowance on February 1. Gold imports into India are governed by the Customs Act of 1962, which regulates the movement of goods across Indian borders. Passengers must comply with guidelines issued by the CBIC while importing gold to India to avoid any hassles at the airport.
As per rule, Indians passengers are eligible to carry some amount of gold jewellery duty free. The duty-free allowance or entitlements does not cover gold or silver in any form other than ornaments.
Under the new set of rules, “returning residents/tourists of Indian origin (after stay abroad for more than one year), are allowed to duty-free jewellery purely a weight basis.” Females can carry at most 40 grams jewellery while males are allowed to take upto 20 grams jewellery.