Customs officers at the Indira Gandhi International (IGI) Airport, New Delhi, have busted an alleged gold smuggling attempt and seized approximately 1 kilogram of gold that was cleverly disguised as traditional armlets (Baajubands) and worn by two women passengers arriving from Istanbul.
The operation was carried out by the Air Intelligence Unit (AIU) of the Customs Department on August 5, 2026, following intelligence-based passenger profiling through the Advance Passenger Information System (APIS). Acting on the risk assessment, customs officers intercepted two female passengers who had arrived from Istanbul on flight 6E-12 after they crossed the Customs Green Channel at IGI Airport.
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Although the X-ray screening of the passengers’ baggage did not reveal any suspicious items, both passengers triggered the Door Frame Metal Detector (DFMD) during the screening process, prompting customs officers to conduct a detailed personal examination.
During the personal search, officers recovered approximately 1 kg of gold that had been coated with an outer layer of silver to evade detection. The precious metal had been ingeniously fashioned into Baajubands (traditional armlets) and concealed on the passengers’ upper arms, making it appear as ordinary jewellery while masking the true nature of the metal.
The seizure highlights the increasingly sophisticated methods being adopted by gold smugglers to circumvent customs checks. Coating gold with silver and disguising it as traditional ornaments is considered an attempt to avoid detection through routine inspection and to mislead enforcement authorities regarding the identity of the metal.
The interception also underscores the importance of intelligence-driven profiling under the APIS framework. Despite the absence of any suspicious findings in baggage X-ray scans, the customs officers relied on risk indicators and the activation of the metal detector to identify the concealment, ultimately leading to the successful recovery of the smuggled gold.
Customs authorities have initiated further investigation to ascertain the intended recipients of the contraband, the possible involvement of organized smuggling networks, and the source and destination of the seized gold.
The recovered gold has been seized under the applicable provisions of the Customs Act, 1962, and further legal action will be taken based on the outcome of the ongoing investigation. Authorities are also examining whether the passengers were acting independently or as carriers for a larger gold smuggling syndicate operating through international flight routes.
