Elederly couple among 4 held at IGI for smuggling

New Delhi: Four people, including an elderly couple, were arrested by the customs officials in separate cases for allegedly trying to smuggle gold and memory cards into the country worth lakhs of rupees at Delhi airport, according to an official statement issued on Tuesday.

In the first case, a man was intercepted after his arrival from Hong Kong on Sunday. A detailed personal and baggage search of the passenger resulted in the recovery of 47,983 assorted pieces of memory cards (of 4 GB and 8 GB) concealed inside a voltage regulator being carried by him, the Customs Department said in the statement. 

The market value of the seized items is assessed to be Rs 35.9 lakh, it said. 

During further enquiry, the accused admitted he had brought similar quantity of memory cards in his two earlier visits to India. 

“Thus, the total value of the total smuggled goods comes out to be Rs 1.07 crore,” the statement said, adding that the passenger has been arrested. 

Another man was stopped for checking by the customs officials after his arrival from Riyadh via Muscat on Sunday. He was allegedly found to be carrying six gold bars and gold granules, weighing 871 grams and having a market value of Rs 28.18 lakh, the statement said. 

The gold was concealed inside an emergency light being carried by the passenger, it said, adding that the accused has been arrested. The customs officials also seized one kilogram of gold from an aged couple -- 56-year-old man and 55-year-old woman. 

The duo were intercepted after their arrival from South Korea's Incheon via Hong Kong on Friday. The value of the seized gold is Rs 32.35 lakh, the statement said, adding that both of them have been arrested.