Ahmedabad Customs seize gold worth ₹2.56 cr hidden in socks from Dubai fliers, 3 arrested

Ahmedabad Customs officials on Sunday seized 2.65 kilograms of gold, valued at ₹2.56 crore, from three passengers who had arrived from Dubai, in yet another instance of gold being smuggled into the country through concealed methods.

According to officials, a male passenger and two women travelling on IndiGo flight 6E-1478 from Dubai to Ahmedabad were intercepted at Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport on September 1 following a tip-off. During the examination, the officers found that all three had hidden silver-coloured pouches containing gold paste inside their socks. Each passenger was carrying two pouches, which, after extraction, yielded 2.650 kilograms of 24-carat gold.

“The smuggling attempt was highly deceptive as the gold was concealed in paste form to evade metal detectors. The total market value of the seizure is ₹2.56 crore,” a senior customs officer said. The contraband has been seized under provisions of the Customs Act, 1962, and the trio has been arrested.

Officials added that preliminary investigations suggest the passengers were acting as “carriers” and may have been working on behalf of a larger syndicate. “The Dubai–Ahmedabad route has been under close watch as we have observed multiple attempts in recent months involving innovative concealment methods,” the officer said.

Customs data show that over the past six months, several cases of gold smuggling have been detected at Ahmedabad airport, with smugglers using tactics such as hiding gold in electronic appliances, mixing it in chemical solutions, or concealing it inside body cavities. The latest seizure, officials said, highlights the shift towards using gold paste, which is easier to transport discreetly and harder to detect during routine checks.