Ahmedabad Customs seize ₹72.28 lakh gold paste hidden in trolley bag at SVPIA
Synopsis
For the third time in under two weeks, Ahmedabad Customs has intercepted gold smuggled from the Gulf — this time as paste hidden beneath a plastic sheet inside a trolley bag. With a DRI syndicate bust also in the mix and over ₹19 crore in smuggled gold linked to the Ahmedabad-Surat corridor this month, the Gulf air route is emerging as a major flashpoint for illicit gold imports.
Key Takeaways
Ahmedabad Customs seized 495.04 grams of 24-carat gold worth ₹72.28 lakh on 27 October 2026 from a passenger on Air Arabia flight G9-418 from Sharjah .
Gold had been converted into paste and concealed beneath a thin black plastic sheet inside the bag's inner lining.
A separate seizure on 19 October yielded 133.45 grams (₹20.12 lakh) from a Dubai flight passenger; on 16 October , 282.9 grams (₹42.5 lakh) were found in rhodium-coated gold wires in metal bag strips.
The Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) dismantled an alleged smuggling syndicate on 19 October , seizing 13.017 kg of gold worth ₹19.41 crore and arresting three people .
All arrested passengers face charges under the Customs Act, 1962 ; investigations are continuing.
Ahmedabad Customs officials on 27 October 2026 seized 495.04 grams of 24-carat gold worth ₹72.28 lakh from a passenger who had arrived on an Air Arabia flight from Sharjah at Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport (SVPIA). The gold had been cleverly disguised as paste and concealed beneath a thin black plastic sheet layered inside a trolley bag — one of the more sophisticated concealment techniques detected at the airport this month.
How the Smuggling Was Uncovered
The Air Intelligence Unit (AIU) flagged the passenger after profiling arrivals on Air Arabia flight G9-418 from Sharjah. During routine X-ray screening of the checked-in baggage, officers noticed an anomalous image in the scan. A detailed physical examination followed, revealing an additional inner layer within the trolley bag.
When the bag was opened and its inner plastic lining was peeled back, officers found a thin, black-coloured plastic sheet affixed along the bag's interior wall. Gold paste had been uniformly spread beneath the sheet. Officers carefully extracted the material and melted it, recovering 495.04 grams of 24-carat gold valued at ₹72,28,574, according to Customs.
The gold was seized under the relevant provisions of the Customs Act, 1962, and the passenger was arrested under the same Act. Further investigation is underway.
Part of a Wider Pattern at Ahmedabad Airport
The seizure is not an isolated incident. It comes amid a marked spike in gold smuggling cases detected at SVPIA in October alone. On 19 October, Customs officials recovered 133.45 grams of 24-carat gold worth approximately ₹20.12 lakh from a passenger arriving from Dubai; in that case, the gold paste was hidden beneath a cloth patch sewn inside a trolley bag.
Three days earlier, on 16 October, a passenger arriving from Abu Dhabi was arrested after 282.9 grams of 24-carat gold worth ₹42.5 lakh was found concealed in metal strips fitted to three trolley bags. The strips contained six gold wires coated with white rhodium — a concealment designed to defeat visual inspection.
DRI Dismantles Alleged Smuggling Syndicate
On 19 October, the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) announced it had dismantled an alleged gold smuggling syndicate operating through Ahmedabad and Surat airports. The probe involved 13.017 kg of foreign-origin gold valued at approximately ₹19.41 crore, with three people arrested in connection with the racket.
The back-to-back cases suggest a coordinated attempt to exploit the Gulf-to-Ahmedabad air corridor for illicit gold imports, with smugglers repeatedly adapting concealment methods to evade detection — from gold wires coated in rhodium to paste spread beneath inner lining sheets.
What Happens Next
Customs officials are continuing their investigation into the 27 October case. Given the clustering of seizures, enforcement agencies are likely to intensify profiling of passengers arriving on Gulf routes at SVPIA. The DRI syndicate probe is separately ongoing, and further arrests have not been ruled out.
Point of View
Plus a DRI syndicate bust — points to a systematic exploitation of the Ahmedabad air corridor rather than isolated opportunism. Smugglers are clearly iterating their concealment methods faster than standard screening can catch them, which raises a structural question: are current X-ray and profiling protocols adequate for the volume and sophistication of attempts on this route? The DRI syndicate arrest is significant, but a network of this scale rarely has only three members. Until investigators establish the full supply chain — from Gulf procurers to domestic distributors — these airport busts will remain symptomatic fixes rather than a solution.
NationPress
27 Oct 2026
Frequently Asked Questions
How did Ahmedabad Customs detect the gold paste in the trolley bag?
The Air Intelligence Unit flagged the passenger through profiling of arrivals on Air Arabia flight G9-418 from Sharjah. An anomalous X-ray image of the checked-in baggage prompted a detailed physical examination, during which officers peeled back an inner plastic lining to find gold paste spread uniformly beneath a thin black plastic sheet.
How much gold was seized and what is it worth?
Officers recovered 495.04 grams of 24-carat gold with a market value of ₹72,28,574 (approximately ₹72.28 lakh). The material was melted down after extraction to confirm its purity and weight.
Is this part of a larger gold smuggling trend at Ahmedabad airport?
Yes. This is the third significant seizure at SVPIA in October 2026 alone. Earlier cases on 19 October (₹20.12 lakh, Dubai) and 16 October (₹42.5 lakh, Abu Dhabi) used similar trolley-bag concealment methods. Additionally, the DRI announced on 19 October that it had busted an alleged syndicate operating through Ahmedabad and Surat airports, with 13.017 kg of gold worth ₹19.41 crore seized.
What legal action has been taken against the arrested passenger?
The passenger has been arrested under the Customs Act, 1962, and the seized gold has been formally confiscated under the same legislation. Further investigation by Ahmedabad Customs is ongoing.
What is the DRI syndicate case connected to these seizures?
The Directorate of Revenue Intelligence announced on 19 October that it had dismantled an alleged gold smuggling syndicate operating through Ahmedabad and Surat airports. The case involves 13.017 kg of foreign-origin gold valued at approximately ₹19.41 crore, and three people have been arrested. Investigators have not publicly confirmed a direct link between the syndicate and the individual passenger seizures, though all cases involve the same Gulf-to-Gujarat air corridor.
