Rough Emerald (Panna)
Consignment of Latin America Origin Seized from Passenger Importing from
Bangkok Trading Centre
Contraband worth around Rs 1 crore was
recovered from the Indian man's luggage and person; the rest from raids on
premises linked to him.
Customs Seize Gemstones Worth
₹2.02 Crore at Delhi Airport and Other Locations
·
Customs officials at Delhi’s IGI Airport
apprehended an Indian passenger arriving from Bangkok on Air India flight
AI-2303 in the early hours of October 3.
·
After noticing suspicious behaviour, officials
conducted spot profiling and searched the passenger and his luggage.
·
They recovered 3,200 pieces of precious stones and
jewellery, valued at about ₹1.02 crore.
·
The passenger reportedly admitted to bringing the
goods from Bangkok without declaring them.
·
Follow-up raids at premises linked to the accused
uncovered 196.676 kg of rough emeralds, 221 carats of cut and polished rubies,
and 45 carats of cut and polished emeralds.
·
Officials also seized documents and other items
connected to the alleged smuggling operation.
·
The total estimated market value of all seized
goods is ₹2.02 crore.
·
Customs took possession of the goods under Section
110 of the Customs Act, 1962, and arrested the passenger under Section 104.
·
An investigation is underway to identify others
involved and determine the intended destination of the gemstones.
The
Customs Department at Terminal-3 (T3) of the Indira Gandhi International (IGI)
Airport in Delhi has achieved a major breakthrough as part of a special drive
against the smuggling of gold, silver, and other contraband. Based on
"spot profiling", they apprehended an Indian male passenger arriving
from Bangkok and recovered precious stones and jewellery worth over Rs 2 crore
from the accused.
According
to Customs officials, the accused passenger departed from Bangkok on Air India
flight AI-2303 on October 2 and landed at T3 of Delhi's IGI Airport in the
early hours of October 3. Officials noticed that he was displaying suspicious
behaviour, and subjected him to spot profiling.
Subsequently,
the passenger's luggage and person were searched. During this thorough search,
3,200 pieces of precious gemstones and jewellery items were recovered. The
value of these items in the international market is estimated at Rs
1,01,54,600. Upon rigorous questioning, the passenger admitted to having
surreptitiously brought these goods from Bangkok to Delhi.
Precious Stones Recovered In Raids At Other Locations
Acting
on leads obtained from the initial arrest and interrogation at the airport, the
Customs department devised a comprehensive follow-up action plan. Simultaneous
raids were conducted at premises linked to the accused passenger, and a massive
quantity of illegally stockpiled gemstones was recovered. The seizures include
196.676 kg of rough emeralds, 221 carats of cut and polished rubies, and 45
carats of cut and polished emeralds.
Additionally,
several documents and other items linked to the smuggling operation were seized
during the raids. Customs officials have taken possession of all the illicit
goods under Section 110 of the Customs Act, 1962.
The
total market value of the items seized at the airport and the gems recovered
from other locations is estimated at Rs 2,02,54,400. Given the gravity of the
matter, the Customs Department has arrested the accused passenger under Section
104 of the Customs Act. Officials state that a thorough investigation is
underway to identify other individuals involved in this smuggling syndicate,
and to determine where these precious gems were intended to be offloaded.