6.33 Kgs of Gold Worth Rs.6.17 Cr Seized at Hyderabad Airport Till June 2025

It seized 43.90 kgs of gold worth Rs.33.11 crore in 2024-2025 at RGIA, while 137.73 kgs of gold worth Rs.86.69 crore in 2023-2024 and 136.28 kgs of gold worth Rs.69.76 crore in 2022-2023. The DRI seized 55.85 kgs of gold worth Rs.27.45 crore in 2021-2022, and 33.47 kgs of gold worth Rs.16.89 crore in 2020-2021.

RGIA stands third place in seizure of gold after Mumbai and Delhi airports till June 2025-26. While 6.33 kgs of gold worth Rs.6.17 crore was seized at RGIA, over 44.53 kgs of gold worth Rs.40.42 crore was seized at CSMIA airport in Mumbai and 14.82 kgs of gold worth Rs.13.45 crore was seized at IGI airport in New Delhi

The customs field formations and DRI keep a constant vigil and take operational measures, based on intelligence, passenger profiling with the aid of Advance Passenger Information System (APIS), risk-based interdiction and targeting, non-intrusive inspection like baggage scanning; rummaging of carriers, including aircrafts, and coordination with other agencies for purposes of thwarting gold smuggling.

Field formations are regularly sensitized to newer methods of smuggling. This was stated by the Union Minister of State for Finance Pankaj Chaudhary, while replying to a question raised by MP Dr. V. Sivadasan on smuggling of gold through airports in Rajya Sabha on Tuesday.

In his question, the Rajya Sabha member sought to know the details of seizure of gold at airports by customs field formations and DRI under CBIC during the last five years. He said the seizure cases indicate an increase in smuggling attempts till financial year 2023-24 and thereafter decline has been noticed.

The Union Minister said as many as 76 people were arrested at airports in connection with gold smuggling cases up to June 2025-26 and one person got a conviction.