396 gm of gold concealed in chocolate packets seized at IGI Airport

Customs officers at Delhi's Indira Gandhi International Airport seized 396 grams of smuggled gold concealed inside chocolate packets from two passengers arriving from Riyadh.

Customs officers at the Indira Gandhi International Airport here seized 396 grams of smuggled gold concealed inside chocolate packets from two passengers arriving from Riyadh, officials said on Thursday.

The two passengers were intercepted ''on the basis of spot profiling'' at the green channel, an official statement said.

During screening, both passengers were diverted for X-ray examination of their baggage.

Under a scan, ''suspicious images were noticed inside chocolate packets carried by the passengers'', following which the packets were seized on suspicion of concealment of gold in dust form and sent for detailed examination, the statement said.

The customs department said a total of 396 grams of gold of 999.9 purity, concealed inside chocolates, was recovered from the two passengers in lots of 200 grams and 196 grams.

The gold was seized under the provisions of the Customs Act, 1962, and the passengers were booked, the statement said.