Gold worth Rs 60 crore seized at IGI last year

NEW DELHI: From taping it to their toes, hiding it in their kids’ diapers, to concealing it in their body cavities and even swallowing it, smugglers have tried every trick in the book to sneak in drugs,

gold

, jewellery and other valuables at IGI airport. But they failed to evade the vigilant eye of the

customs department

each time.

More than 220kg gold worth Rs 60 crore, drugs worth Rs 40 crore, and other valuables were seized and as many as 130 people arrested last year. Thirteen cases were registered under the Narcotic Drugs and Pyschotropic Substances Act, in which 6kg cocaine, 2kg heroin and other drugs, including steroids, were seized worth Rs 40 crore. Officials also seized 80kg corals from a passenger who had come from Dubai.

Senior officers said demonetisation led to increased currency seizures in the month of December. The total amount of foreign exchange seized was around Rs 6.5 crore and 11 people were arrested.

A customs officer said most of the cases were cracked either on the basis of tip-offs or through passenger profiling by a team led by deputy commissioner

Govind Garg

.

Talking about the weirdest seizures of the year, the officer said, “One man had tried to hide gold worth Rs 75 lakh in a papaya, while another had concealed gold plates in the heels of his shoes.”