Customs officials at Ahmedabad's Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport seized gold worth over Rs 4.26 crore that had been concealed inside a speaker box on an IndiGo flight arriving from Dubai on Friday.

During a search of IndiGo Flight 6E-1478, Customs officers, assisted by aircraft engineers, discovered two pouches wrapped in black plastic tape concealed inside a speaker box located in the aircraft's front lavatory.

Upon examination, officials recovered 24 foreign-origin gold biscuits of 999 purity (24 carat), weighing a total of 2,799.3 grams. The seized gold is valued at approximately Rs 4.27 crore in the local market.

According to Customs officials, the manner of concealment indicated that the gold had been hidden by an unidentified person with the intention of smuggling it into India in violation of the Customs Act, 1962.

As no passenger or crew member came forward to claim ownership of the consignment, the gold was seized as unclaimed under the relevant provisions of the Customs Act. Further investigation is underway.

The seizure comes weeks after Customs officials at the airport intercepted two passengers arriving from Dubai and seized more than 1.13 lakh sticks of foreign-origin cigarettes.

The passengers, who arrived on an Emirates flight, were intercepted at the arrival hall after suspicious X-ray images of their checked-in baggage were flagged for inspection.

A detailed examination of the luggage led to the recovery of a large consignment of concealed cigarettes, officials said.

The seized goods included 280 boxes containing 56,000 sticks of the 'Mond' brand and 286 boxes containing 57,200 sticks of the 'Gudang Garam' brand. The consignment was seized under the provisions of the Customs Act, 1962.

Source: India Today