Gold worth Rs 80 lakh seized from SpiceJet aircraft

AHMEDABAD: Three gold bars, weighing as many kgs, worth Rs 80.32 lakh were seized from under a seat of a SpiceJet aircraft at Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel international airport here.

"The gold bars were found hidden beneath a seat of the flight no. 016, which landed here from Dubai last night, by the Air Intelligence Unit of Customs," a customs official said today.

The AIU swung into action after it was alerted by the flight crew about some "suspicious object" lying under the seat.

The flight, after its stop-over at Ahemdabad, was scheduled to operate as a domestic flight today, the official said.

He said the smugglers or their carriers must have brought the consignment from Dubai but had to abandon it in the aircraft due to increased vigilance by the Customs staff at the arrival area of the international terminal.

It could be their new modus operandi to smuggle the gold bars from Dubai to Mumbai en route Ahmedabad, he said.

As the flight was scheduled to operate as domestic carrier, the persons concerned might have tried to land with the gold at Ahmedabad safely and would have sent it to another place like Mumbai, according to the official.

The seizure has been registered as unclaimed goods under the Customs Act 1962, the official said, adding, further investigation is on.