Customs officials at Ahmedabad's Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport made a striking smuggling bust on Friday, recovering nearly 2.8 kilograms of gold worth over Rs 4.26 crore hidden inside a speaker box in the lavatory of an IndiGo aircraft that had arrived from Dubai.
The seizure was made aboard IndiGo Flight No. 6E-1478.
Acting on suspicion, customs officers carried out a detailed search of the aircraft with the assistance of aircraft engineers. During the inspection, they located two pouches wrapped tightly in black plastic tape, wedged inside a wall-mounted speaker box in the front lavatory, a compartment typically used for inflight announcement systems, NDTV reported.
After dismantling the speaker unit, officers found 24 solid gold biscuits of foreign origin packed inside the pouches.
Gujarat | During the search conducted on IndiGo Flight No. 6E-1478 arriving from Dubai at SVPI Airport, Ahmedabad on 12.06.2026, Customs officials, with the help of Aircraft Engineers, seized two pouches wrapped in black plastic tape inside the speaker box located in the front… pic.twitter.com/rcn5s6KsSh
— ANI (@ANI) June 13, 2026
"On examination, the pouches were found to contain 24 gold biscuits of 999.0 purity (24 carat) with a combined weight of 2,799.3 grams. The gold was valued at Rs 4,26,89,325 in the domestic market," officials said, according to IANS.
The manner of concealment pointed to a carefully planned smuggling operation.
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Officials believe the gold was hidden inside the lavatory structure by an unknown person aboard the Dubai-Ahmedabad flight, with the intention of having it retrieved by either a domestic passenger or a member of the ground crew after the aircraft landed, NDTV reported.
However, the plan appears to have unravelled. Suspecting heightened security checks, the carrier seemingly abandoned the consignment, as reportedly no passenger came forward to claim ownership of the gold.
With no claimant emerging, the seized gold has been classified as unclaimed and confiscated under the relevant provisions of the Customs Act, 1962.
The Dubai-Ahmedabad air route has historically been a preferred corridor for gold smuggling into India, given the significant price differential between the two markets and the high volume of passenger traffic between the two cities.
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