Customs officials in Delhi recently seized items worth a monstrous amount ₹5.42 crore from a female passenger at the Indira Gandhi International Airport (IGI) on Tuesday. During the mandatory security and screening process, officials became suspicious of a woman with a US passport who had arrived at Terminal-3 from Hong Kong on Cathay Pacific flight CX-695.
Among the highly valued items found in her possession were 1.2 kilograms of gold and diamond items, 10 kilograms of silverware, several luxury watches and foreign currency. Her luggage, totaling 9,084 US dollars, 605 euros and 2,540 Hong Kong dollars, included premium watches such as Rolex, Bvlgari, Chopard and Cartier.
₹5.42 million undeclared items
“The total value of the seized items was determined as ₹5.42 Cr, which were not declared in contravention of the provisions of the Customs Act, 1962, were seized under Section 110 of the Customs Act, 1962,” Delhi Customs said in a post on X.
The statement further states: “During the search, the gold items obtained in the country with a total weight of 552 grams were not confiscated and returned to the passenger.
This incident took place on February 18, following which the passenger was arrested under Section 104 of the Customs Act, 1962.
The Central Bureau of Indirect Taxes and Customs (CBIC) under the Ministry of Finance has issued the latest set of guidelines for travelers on duty-free clearance on February 1. The import of gold into India is governed by the Customs Act, 1962, which regulates the movement of goods across Indian borders. Travelers must follow the guidelines issued by the CBIC while bringing gold into India to avoid hassles at the airport.
As per current regulations, Indian travelers can carry a certain amount of gold jewelery duty free. Duty-free allowance or claims do not apply to gold or silver in any form other than ornaments.
Special surcharges for jewelry have been updated based on weight, revising the previous outdated value limits. According to the new set of rules, “returning residents/tourists of Indian origin (after staying abroad for more than one year) are allowed duty-free jewelery purely on the basis of weight. Women can wear a maximum of 40 grams of jewellery, while men can wear up to 20 grams of jewellery.”
Clarifying the new provisions for temporary importation or reimportation, the circular states: “The means of issuing a certificate of temporary importation of baggage or an export certificate for the temporary carriage of imported or exported goods are designed for smooth clearance on arrival and to avoid unnecessary detention of goods.
