Gold worth Rs 3.4 crore hidden in medical device seized at Delhi airport

In a bizarre case, Customs officials seized 7 kg of gold worth Rs 3.4 crore at Delhi airport from a Kenyan national who arrived on a flight from Nairobi on Monday with the contraband hidden in an oxygen concentrator.

The passenger, who is a medical professional, was trying to pass off the device as essential for an infant with him, who he said was not well. He claimed that he had brought the child for medical treatment to India.

However, the Customs officials saw through his game and after taking adequate precautions, examined the oxygen concentrator and found the gold bars inside. The child on medical examination was also found to be normal.

Customs officials carried out a thorough search and recovered seven gold bars weighing 7 kg from the oxygen device.

Further investigations are being carried out in the case to unravel the wider smuggler network.

The case comes close on the heals of Customs officials recovered four gold bars worth Rs 2 crores at Delhi airport on Sunday from the toilet of a plane that was flying on international as well as domestic routes.

The gold was smuggled from abroad and had been hidden in the toilet so that an accomplice booked on the domestic flight of the plane could pick it up and go through without having to go through Customs clearance.

However, the case was cracked as Customs officials had received specific intelligence inputs on the modus operandi.