New Delhi: A team of Customs Department at IGI airport (IGIA), in two separate cases, arrested three people including a woman for smuggling gold and computer parts worth over Rs 33 lakh.
According to Customs, on November 21 two male passengers were intercepted by them after they arrived at T-3 at IGIA from Seoul. "On detailed baggage search of the passenger, computer parts (RAM and processors) having a market value over Rs 9 lakh were recovered.
Additional Commissioner of Customs Amandeep Singh said that during probe the passengers admitted that they were involved in smuggling computer parts worth Rs 26.86 lakh in the past.
Meanwhile, in another case, one woman passenger was arrested with the gold worth over Rs 24 lakh at IGIA. Customs claimed that, on November 23, the accused who arrived at T-3 from Jeddah was intercepted by them. "Her personnel search resulted in the recovery of 15 cut pieces of gold bar collectively weighing 705 grams," said Singh, adding that the woman admitted that she had smuggled gold weighing 650 grams worth Rs 23 lakh in the past.
According to the customs latest data, 150 persons including the foreign nationals were arrested during April to September this year at IGI airport for smuggling gold into the country.
According to officials, smuggling syndicates lure economically weak Indians to work as carriers who would sneak gold into the country and also avoid suspicion of security agencies.