New Delhi: Delhi Customs officials have arrested a passenger arriving from Dubai after seizing 170 grams of gold worth over Rs 21 lakh concealed inside a beverage bottle cap at Indira Gandhi International (IGI) Airport.

In a post on X on Sunday, October 26, Delhi Customs said the Air Intelligence Unit (AIU) intercepted an Indian traveller who arrived on Air India flight AI-996 from Dubai on Saturday, October 25. The passenger was stopped at the green channel based on profiling, and the gold was detected during an X-ray screening of the passenger’s baggage.

A video shared by the department showed officials extracting a cylindrical piece of gold hidden inside the plastic cap of a PET beverage bottle. The cap had been precisely modified to conceal the metal, making detection difficult.

Watch the video here

Officials described the concealment as a “novel modus operandi” and said the alertness of officers helped expose the creative smuggling method. The gold was seized under the Customs Act, and further investigation is under way.

Delhi Customs said the case reflects the growing trend of inventive smuggling methods amid rising global gold prices and reaffirmed its commitment to maintaining tight surveillance at airports.