Ahmedabad Customs on Wednesday, 22 July seized 129.18 grams of 24-carat gold valued at ₹19,48,034 from two passengers who had arrived on IndiGo flight 6E-1478 from Dubai. Officers of the Air Intelligence Unit (AIU) discovered the precious metal ingeniously concealed as gold paste stitched inside the collars of the passengers' shirts at Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport (SVPIA), Ahmedabad.

How the Smuggling Was Detected

The interception was carried out on the basis of specific intelligence shared by the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI). During a thorough physical examination of the two male passengers — identified as residents of Mumbai and Ulhasnagar in Maharashtra — officers found gold paste embedded within the shirt collars, a method that bypasses routine baggage screening.

The recovered paste was subsequently processed and converted into 24-carat TT bars with a net weight of 129.18 grams. The gold has been seized under the provisions of the Customs Act, 1962, and further investigation is underway, officials confirmed.

Part of a Wider Pattern at Ahmedabad Airport

This seizure is the latest in a sustained series of gold smuggling interceptions at SVPIA, with Dubai and Abu Dhabi featuring repeatedly as points of origin. The cases reveal an escalating sophistication in concealment methods.

On 15 July, DRI and Ahmedabad Customs jointly seized gold paste worth approximately ₹4.31 crore from a passenger who had allegedly hidden it inside specially modified undergarments after arriving from Dubai. The very next day, on 16 July, officers recovered 233 grams of 24-carat gold worth ₹34.29 lakh from a woman passenger arriving from Abu Dhabi, where the gold had allegedly been concealed inside her burqa.

Earlier in July, another woman arriving from Abu Dhabi was intercepted and 729 grams of gold valued at ₹98.78 lakh were recovered, allegedly hidden in her belongings and clothing.

Larger Recoveries in Recent Months

The enforcement trend extends beyond passenger interceptions. In June, Customs officers at Ahmedabad airport found 24 foreign-origin gold biscuits weighing 2.799 kg and valued at approximately ₹4.26 crore concealed inside the lavatory of a Dubai-bound aircraft. Investigations to identify those behind that attempt are ongoing.

Notably, the recurring Dubai-Ahmedabad corridor has emerged as a focal point for enforcement agencies, reflecting both the high volume of passenger traffic on the route and the persistent demand for smuggled gold in domestic markets.

Enforcement Response

Ahmedabad Customs and DRI have intensified joint operations, deploying intelligence-led profiling to counter increasingly inventive concealment techniques — from modified clothing to aircraft lavatories. The repeated successes suggest a proactive enforcement posture, though the frequency of attempts also points to the scale of the smuggling network that authorities are working to dismantle.

With investigations ongoing in multiple cases, further arrests and recoveries are expected as agencies trace the supply chains behind these interceptions.