Customs officials at Indira Gandhi International (IGI) Airport, New Delhi, have foiled a major gold smuggling attempt and seized 869.5 grams of 24-carat gold ingeniously concealed inside the tyres of an electric scooter.
Acting on intelligence inputs and passenger profiling, Customs officers intercepted a passenger who had travelled from Jeddah to Mumbai and onward to Delhi on IndiGo flight 6E-6133 on August 6, 2026. The passenger was stopped at Terminal-1 of IGI Airport.
The passenger was carrying household goods along with an electric scooter as checked-in baggage. During X-ray screening, officials noticed suspicious images. Although the passenger did not trigger the Door Frame Metal Detector (DFMD), a detailed examination of the electric scooter was conducted.
The inspection led to the recovery of 19 cut pieces of 24-carat gold, weighing 869.5 grams (net weight), cleverly concealed inside the solid core of the scooter's tyres in an attempt to evade Customs detection.
The gold has been seized, a case of smuggling has been registered against the passenger, and further investigation is underway.
