4 Men Arrested at IGI Airport by Customs for Smuggling Luxury Watches; Seized Rs. 50 Lakhs In Cash
4 Men Arrested at IGI Airport by Customs for Smuggling Luxury Watches; Seized Rs. 50 Lakhs In Cash
The Delhi Customs has arrested 4 Men Arrested at IGI Airport for smuggling luxury watches and seized the cash amount of Rs. 50 Lakhs.
The Customs Officers of IGI Airport, Terminal-3, New Delhi have booked a case of smuggling involving one Patek Philippe brand watch against a male passenger (PAX), aged 47 years, holder of a Hong Kong passport, who arrived at Terminal-3, IGI Airport, New Delhi from Hong Kong on 04-05-2025. The total market value of the watch was found to be approximately Rs. 83,00,000/- (Rupees Eighty-Three Lakhs only). The said passenger admitted that the foreign-origin watch was brought from Hong Kong to Delhi to avoid customs duty payment.
During further interrogation, the passenger admitted to previously smuggling four watches, with the total value of smuggled watches found to be approximately Rs. 2.5 crore (Rupees Two Crore Fifty Lakhs). Further investigation led to the interception of two Indian receivers who admitted to having received smuggled watches worth approx. Rs. 2.5 crore from the same passenger.
Upon further investigation, one Indian receiver/buyer of the smuggled watch was intercepted in possession of Indian currency amounting to Rs. 50 lakhs in cash. The receiver/buyer admitted that the cash was brought as a partial payment for the smuggled watch. He further admitted to being in regular contact with the two receivers and confirmed his involvement in the purchase and handover of smuggled watches to his clients in India.
The Patek Philippe watch and the cash amount of Rs. 50 lakhs in Indian currency have been seized under Section 110 of the Customs Act, 1962. The passenger, along with the receivers, has been placed under arrest under Section 104 of the Customs Act, 1962.
Further investigation is under progress.
Read More: Ganja Worth ₹3.51 Crore Seized at IGI Airport; Passenger from Vietnam Arrested for Smuggling
Mariya is the Senior Editor at JurisHour. She has 5+ years of experience on covering tax litigation stories from the Supreme Court, High Courts and various tribunals including CESTAT, ITAT, NCLAT, NCLT, etc. Mariya graduated from MLSU Law College, Udaipur (Raj.) with B.A.LL.B. and also holds an LL.M. She started as a freelance tax reporter in the leading online legal news companies like LiveLaw & Taxscan.
