Two citizens of Uzbekistan have been arrested at the Indira Gandhi International Airport in Delhi for attempting to smuggle 16.5 kg of gold. The women were apprehended after an extensive operation by customs officials NDTV reports.
The arrest came after specific intelligence was received, indicating that individuals from a Central Asian country would be smuggling a substantial quantity of foreign-origin gold into Delhi. Acting on this information, customs officers at the IGI airport closely monitored incoming passengers.
The suspects had abandoned the bag containing gold near the conveyor belt. As a result, officials found nothing during the initial search of the woman at the customs clearance corridor. When they realized they were exposed, the accused attempted to flee by taking another flight but were eventually apprehended, Newsroom Odisha reports.
A senior customs official clarified that one of the accused was identified based on the provided intelligence and was closely observed from the moment they disembarked from the flight.
“A passenger (the older woman) was intercepted, however, upon initial inspection of their baggage, no contraband was found” - an official said
Officials continued their surveillance and identified a second passenger who exhibited suspicious behavior. The second passenger (the first woman's granddaughter) was then identified based on the same intelligence and found to be moving around suspiciously.
"She was kept under watch and when she attempted to cross the green customs channel, she too was intercepted. During her baggage and personal check, nothing incriminating could be found. This second passenger too was allowed to go out," the official continued.
Following this revelation, customs officials conducted a thorough search of the area and discovered an unmarked bag near Belt No. 9, where the accused had been seen moving around. On scanning the bag, images suggestive of the presence of gold items were observed. With no claimant available, the bag was opened, revealing approximately 16.5 kg of gold in the form of chains worth $994,603 which is said to be one of the biggest gold seizures at the airport in recent times.
"Customs immediately scanned the CCTV footage to trace the person who had left the bag from which the gold was recovered. A woman was seen leaving the bag near the belt. Vigorous efforts were made to trace the passenger. Suspecting that the offender might try to flee the country, a team of customs officers was immediately dispatched to the departure side of the Indira Gandhi International Airport (IGIA)," the official said.
Through meticulous investigative work, the officers managed to locate the second passenger, who had undergone a quick change of clothes in a bid to elude customs authorities. The passenger was about to board a flight bound for Almaty, Kazakhstan, shortly after arriving from Tashkent.
During the interrogation, the woman confessed to abandoning the bag, and based on her information, the first accused, who was the main suspect, was also apprehended. The two Uzbek nationals are currently in custody.
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