Mystery on a Dubai flight: Who hid ₹4.27 crore gold inside an IndiGo plane?

Customs officials at Ahmedabad's Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport have seized gold worth more than ₹4.26 crore that was concealed inside a speaker box on an IndiGo flight arriving from Dubai.

The seizure was made on Friday during a search of IndiGo Flight 6E-1478. Assisted by aircraft engineers, Customs officers examined the aircraft and discovered two pouches wrapped in black plastic tape hidden inside a speaker box located in the front lavatory.

Upon opening the pouches, officials recovered 24 foreign-origin gold biscuits of 999 purity (24 carat), weighing a total of 2,799.3 grams. The gold is valued at approximately ₹4.27 crore in the local market.

According to Customs officials, the manner of concealment suggested that the gold had been hidden by an unidentified person with the intention of smuggling it into India in violation of the Customs Act, 1962.

Hidden inside the aircraft speaker box

The seizure was unusual because the gold was not found on any passenger but concealed within the aircraft itself.

Officials said no passenger or crew member came forward to claim ownership of the consignment. As a result, the gold was seized as unclaimed under the relevant provisions of the Customs Act.

Further investigation is underway to identify those behind the smuggling attempt and determine how the gold was placed inside the aircraft.

Another Dubai-linked seizure

The latest operation comes weeks after Customs officials at the Ahmedabad airport intercepted two passengers arriving from Dubai and seized more than 1.13 lakh sticks of foreign-origin cigarettes.

The passengers, who arrived on an Emirates flight, were stopped at the arrival hall after suspicious X-ray images of their checked-in baggage were flagged for inspection.

A detailed examination led to the recovery of 280 boxes containing 56,000 sticks of the 'Mond' brand and 286 boxes containing 57,200 sticks of the 'Gudang Garam' brand cigarettes.

The cigarette consignment was also seized under the provisions of the Customs Act, 1962.

The latest gold haul adds to a series of smuggling cases linked to flights arriving from Dubai, with Customs officials continuing to tighten surveillance at one of western India's busiest international gateways.