Smugglers are employing new modus operandi like travelling with infants and using fake purchase bills to smuggle gold at Delhi airport, Customs officials said on Tuesday.
The Customs recently arrested three persons in two separate cases for allegedly trying to smuggle into the country gold using fake bills and by travelling with infants to avoid suspicion.
In the first case, a man was intercepted by the Customs after his arrival from Dubai on Sunday.
"A detailed personal and baggage search of the passenger resulted in the recovery of a gold item crudely given the shape of a gold chain and one gold bar totally weighing 999gm," a press release issued by the Customs said.
The market value of the gold, which has been seized, is Rs. 28.63 lakh, it said.
The accused, who hails from Ludhiana, works in a bank in Dubai.
"He was travelling with his wife and two small children—one about 10 months old and another 2 years—to India to avoid suspicion of authorities," a senior Customs official said.
During investigation, the man admitted to having smuggled about 3kg of gold, worth Rs. 82 lakh in past, using the same modus operandi, the official said.
"The passenger would always travel with his wife and kids in his bid to dodge the Customs," the official said.
In another case, a 34 year-old man was arrested for smuggling gold worth Rs. 57 lakh.
The accused in this case was intercepted by the Customs after his arrival from Mumbai on Saturday.
"During his personal search, two gold bars, weighing 2kg, were found. The gold bars were kept inside the pockets of trousers worn by him," the Customs official said.
The accused showed the officials a bill of purchase of the gold from Mumbai, which was later found as fake, he said.
During investigation, the accused admitted that he had been handed over the gold bars and the fake bill by his employer, a Delhi-based jeweller, in the washroom of the arrival hall at Indira Gandhi International Airport, the official said.
The jeweller had come from Dubai on the same day, he said, adding the duo has been arrested.
The total value of the gold seized in both the cases is about Rs. 85.68 lakh, the official added.
