Ahmedabad, July 16, 2026
Ahmedabad Customs has seized 233 grams of 24-carat gold worth over Rs 34.29 lakh from a woman passenger who allegedly attempted to smuggle the precious metal into India by concealing it inside her clothing after arriving from Abu Dhabi.
According to Customs officials, officers of the Air Intelligence Unit (AIU) intercepted the passenger at Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport (SVPIA) on Thursday after she arrived on Flight 3L-111 from Abu Dhabi.
The interception was based on passenger profiling.
During the examination, officers recovered two 24-carat gold TT bars weighing a total of 233 grams concealed inside the passenger’s burka.
“The gold had allegedly been hidden with the intention of evading payment of Customs duty,” officials said.
The seized gold has a market value of Rs 34,29,216. It has been confiscated under the provisions of the Customs Act, 1962.
Officials said further investigation is underway to ascertain the circumstances surrounding the attempted smuggling.
The latest case adds to a series of gold smuggling detections at Ahmedabad airport in recent weeks.
On July 7, the AIU seized 729 grams of gold jewellery valued at Rs 98.78 lakh from a woman passenger who had arrived from Abu Dhabi.
The jewellery was allegedly concealed inside her handbag and beneath her clothes, with the seizure also resulting from passenger profiling. Investigations in that case remain in progress.
Earlier, on June 12, Ahmedabad Customs uncovered one of its largest recent seizures when officers recovered 24 foreign-origin gold biscuits weighing 2,799.3 grams and valued at about Rs 4.27 crore from the lavatory speaker compartment of a Dubai-Ahmedabad flight.
Authorities said the concealment method indicated an organised smuggling attempt and launched a detailed investigation into those responsible.(Agency)
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