Customs officials at Indira Gandhi International (IGI) Airport have foiled a sophisticated gold smuggling attempt and have recovered 869.5 grams of 24-carat gold concealed in the tyres of an international passenger's electric scooter. The AIU took action on August 6, 2026, based on intelligence inputs and passenger profiling.
According to customs officers, the passenger had traveled to Mumbai from Jeddah and then to New Delhi on IndiGo flight 6E-6133. Customs officers found the passenger at Terminal 1 of IGI Airport and conducted a thorough examination based on his intelligence and behaviour profile.
The passenger was also carrying his own household goods and electric scooter as part of his checked-in baggage, according to officials. The passenger did not cause any alarm with the Door Frame Metal Detector (DFMD), so Customs officers were suspicious due to intelligence inputs and anomalies observed during baggage screening.
Hand baggage and checked-in baggage were X-rayed during the inspection, during which officials found suspicious images of the electric scooter. That led Customs officers to perform a full physical examination on the vehicle.
The officers found that the tyres of the electric scooter were redesigned to hide precious metal. After carefully dismantling the tyres, the Customs team found nineteen cut pieces of 24-carat gold inside the solid core of the tyres. The gold weighed 869.5 grams (net weight).
The concealment method appeared to have been designed to avoid detection during formal airport screening and physical inspection, officials said. In the electric scooter, the smuggler was able to bury the gold in the tyre structure to avoid arousing suspicion as it came to the country.
The gold seized has been confiscated under the provisions of the Customs Act, 1962, and a case of gold smuggling has been registered. Further investigation has been conducted into the source of the gold, the intended destination of the gold, and whether the passenger was acting independently or as part of a larger smuggling syndicate.
Customs officials are also looking at links with organised international gold smuggling networks that often use novel concealment techniques to bypass airport security and Customs checks. Analysts will check the passenger’s travel history, financial transactions, and communication records as part of the probe.
Gold smuggling is still a big problem for enforcement in India as domestic demand and fluctuations in international gold prices are high. The smugglers have developed sophisticated methods to hide gold in electronic devices, machinery, luggage components, clothing, food items, and other everyday things to avoid detection.
The successful interception at IGI Airport is an example of the success of intelligence-based surveillance, passenger profiling, and sophisticated screening technology employed by Customs authorities. Ongoing surveillance and targeted operations are essential to combat organised smuggling activities at international airports, officials said.
The latest seizure is a further reminder of the Air Intelligence Unit’s vigilance at Delhi’s IGI Airport, where it was able to prevent a large amount of illegally imported gold from entering the domestic market. There are still investigations underway, and any other members of the smuggling network will be identified.
