NEW DELHI: A 64-year-old Iraqi national was arrested at New Delhi’s international airport on Monday for allegedly attempting to smuggle 1.2 kg of gold into India, according to the Customs Department.
The suspect was caught after arriving on a flight from Baghdad when security screening detected suspicious items.

“During X-ray screening of the baggage, suspicious images were observed. The DFMD (Door Frame Metal Detector) check of the passenger triggered a strong beep. Subsequent thorough examination of the passenger and his baggage led to the recovery of assorted yellow metal, silver-coated jewellery, suspected to be gold, weighing a total of 1203.00 grams,” the department posted on X.
The gold was discovered hidden in the passenger’s luggage in an apparent smuggling attempt.
The Customs Department is conducting further investigation to determine the gold’s purity, value, and potential violations under the Customs Act, 1962.
In a separate incident at Mumbai’s Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport (CSMI), customs officers seized suspected cocaine worth approximately Rs 17.89 crore from a passenger.
“On April 1, based on spot profiling, one passenger who arrived from Nairobi to Mumbai via Doha was intercepted by the Customs Officers at CSMI Airport. During the detailed examination of the baggage, white coloured powdered substance purported to be Cocaine, having a net weight of 1789 Grams, approximately valued at Rs 17,89,00,000, was recovered from the false cavity of the trolley bag carried by her. The said passenger was arrested under the Provisions of the NDPS Act, 1985,” stated the press release.
The passenger had concealed the suspected cocaine powder in a false cavity inside her trolley bag. Legal proceedings are underway in both cases as investigations continue.