Wearing A Gold Chain Necklace Worth US$74,000, This Airplane Passenger Was Directly Checked By Airport Officers

JAKARTA - More than US$74,000 worth of gold and cash of US$38,000, were seized by Indian customs officials from passengers traveling to and from Dubai, the United Arab Emirates this week.

Undeclared gold was confiscated from an Indian passenger arriving from Dubai at Delhi's Indira Gandhi International Airport on Tuesday, April 19.

The man wore a heavy gold chain around his neck and was found with gold bars in his pocket, as he walked through the airport arrivals area. He was later arrested and officials said an investigation was ongoing.

Two days earlier, customs officials from the same airport intercepted an Indian passenger who was about to board a flight to Dubai with a suitcase full of cash.

Indian passengers were picked up at IGI Airport on Sunday, April 17, with bags filled with cash in Saudi Arabian riyals and UAE dirhams worth around US$38,000.

To crackdown on money laundering, authorities have limited the amount of undeclared cash that can be brought from India to Dubai to US$3,000.

While there is no limit to how much foreign currency can be taken out of India, notes, coins, or traveler's checks of more than US$10,000 must be declared.

No excise duty paid in cash up to 100,000 dirhams is carried into the UAE but must be announced by filling in the relevant forms before departure.

However, restrictions were put in place to control the amount of gold brought into India.

From April 1, 2016, male passengers can carry up to 20 grams of gold worth $654 duty-free. Meanwhile, women are allowed to take double that amount before paying taxes.

Gold jewelry over that amount must be declared at customs and duties paid to the government, although the fee changed from 12.5 percent to 10.75 percent in February 2021 in a bid to deter smugglers.