New Delhi (Gurpreet Singh)— Customs officials deployed at the Indira Gandhi International Airport have foiled two major smuggling bids, intercepting a high-value diamond-studded gold bracelet worth roughly 1.08 crore rupees and confiscating approximately 15 kilograms of suspected marijuana valued at 5.25 crore rupees. Authorities confirmed on Sunday that three foreign nationals have been taken into custody in connection with the separate seizures carried out at Terminal 3.
The first interception unfolded on August 19 when Airport Customs Preventive officers profiled and stopped two Turkish nationals arriving on a flight from Istanbul. A comprehensive personal search and baggage examination led to the recovery of an exquisite bracelet crafted from 750-purity gold. Official assessments revealed that the piece weighed 87.5 grams and incorporated nearly 10 grams of embedded diamonds, representing approximately 50 carats. Officials impounded the luxury jewellery under Section 110 of the Customs Act and formally arrested both travellers under Section 104 of the statute for attempting to evade duty tariffs.
In an unrelated narcotics crackdown on September 4, customs surveillance teams intercepted a Malaysian national landing from Kuala Lumpur. Officers diverted the passenger away from the Green Channel for targeted screening, discovering 30 vacuum-sealed polythene packages packed inside her trolley baggage. Forensic inspection confirmed the contents as suspected marijuana weighing 15,015 grams, carrying an estimated illicit market value of 5.25 crore rupees. Enforcement personnel seized the narcotics under Section 43(A) of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act and arrested the passenger under Section 43(B), initiating wider inquiries to uncover the cross-border distribution syndicates behind both operations.
