Customs officials at Ahmedabad airport in Gujarat seized gold worth over Rs 4.26 crore that had been hidden inside a speaker box in an aircraft’s lavatory.
The seizure was made at Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International (SVPI) Airport on Friday, on board IndiGo flight 6E-1478, which had arrived from Dubai.
Customs officers, acting on a hunch, carried out a detailed search of the aircraft with the help of aircraft engineers. During the inspection, they found two pouches wrapped in black plastic tape hidden inside a speaker box located in the front lavatory.
The officers dismantled the wall-mounted speaker box, which is typically used for inflight announcements, and discovered the pouches wedged behind the audio components.
Inside the speaker, authorities found 24 solid gold biscuits of foreign origin. The biscuits were of 999.0 purity (24 carat) and had a combined weight of 2,799.3 grams, or about 2.8 kilograms.
“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, news agency IANS reported.
Officials said the smuggler likely intended to leave the gold hidden inside the lavatory structure for a domestic passenger or a member of the ground crew to retrieve later.
However, the plan did not succeed. Suspecting heightened checks, the carrier appears to have abandoned the consignment, as no passenger came forward to claim the gold.
The seized gold has been classified as unclaimed and confiscated under the Customs Act, 1962.
Ahmedabad Customs has now launched a detailed investigation into the case.
