Ahmedabad, June 13 (IANS) Customs officials at Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport (SVPIA) in Ahmedabad have seized 24 foreign-origin gold biscuits weighing 2,799.3 grams and valued at Rs 4.26 crore after they were discovered concealed inside an IndiGo aircraft that had arrived from Dubai, officials said on Friday.

According to Customs authorities, the seizure was made during rummaging operations conducted on board IndiGo flight 6E-1478 after its arrival from Dubai.

With the assistance of aircraft engineers, officers searched the aircraft and recovered two pouches wrapped in black plastic tape from inside a speaker box located in the front lavatory.

“On examination, the pouches were found to contain 24 gold biscuits of 999.0 purity (24 carat) with a combined weight of 2,799.3 grams. The gold was valued at Rs 4,26,89,325 in the domestic market,” officials said.

Customs said the manner in which the gold had been concealed indicated an attempt to smuggle it into India in violation of the Customs Act, 1962.

Officials said the contraband appeared to have been hidden by an unidentified individual, and no person came forward to claim ownership of the recovered gold.

As a result, the gold was seized as unclaimed under the relevant provisions of the act.

Officials added that further investigation is underway to identify those responsible for the smuggling attempt and to determine whether the seizure is linked to a larger network operating on Gulf routes.

The seizure is the latest in a series of gold smuggling cases detected at Ahmedabad airport.

In February this year, Customs officers intercepted a passenger arriving from Dubai and recovered 601.9 grams of 24-carat gold valued at Rs 96.06 lakh, including gold concealed in paste form inside his underwear.

In another case reported in February, Customs officials apprehended four women passengers arriving from Jeddah and seized 945.57 grams of 24-carat gold jewellery valued at Rs 1.52 crore.

The jewellery, comprising rhodium-coated chains and bangles, had allegedly been concealed to evade detection. Ahmedabad airport has witnessed a steady stream of attempts at gold smuggling in recent years.

–IANS

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