Ahmedabad’s Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport (SVPI), being a gateway to many international and domestic flights, has become a hub for gold smugglers, as a total of 275 kg of gold worth over ₹1,733 cr has been seized in the last five years.

In the year 2022-23, more than 108 kg of gold were seized by the authorities from Ahmedabad airport.

Recently, 5.50 kg of gold worth ₹3.30 cr was confiscated from the airport.

Ahmedabad airport stands in the seventh position among the airports in India with the highest gold seizures in a year.

In the last six months, various incidents of gold smuggling have been reported from Ahmedabad airport, with one being in January 2024, when an individual was caught smuggling two gold biscuits.

Similarly, a woman was caught smuggling 763.360 g of gold worth ₹49.07 lakh by hiding it in a sanitary pad.

Gold smuggling at Ahmedabad airport 

In 2022-23, the highest amount of gold seized was 107.47 kg, followed by 107.23 kg in 2019-20. Due to the pandemic, gold smuggling dipped to 17.06 kg in 2020-21.

The Air Intelligence Unit (AIU) and customs play an important role in catching smugglers.

Many believe that the arrested smugglers are merely scapegoats given a hefty commission per gram for bringing or taking gold for the masterminds, who evade the authorities time and again.

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