In what is being touted as the largest gold smuggling attempt ever at Gujarat’s Surat International Airport, authorities seized gold worth Rs 20 crore hidden in paste form from an Indian couple who had arrived from Dubai, officials said on Tuesday.
The timely action was made possible as the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) kept a vigil in swift coordination with the Customs Department.
The incident took place around 10 pm on July 20 when a middle-aged couple landed in Surat on Air India flight IX-174 from Dubai. CISF personnel deployed in plain clothes noticed something suspicious about the duo — both Indian nationals from Gujarat — particularly their walking posture and a visible bulge around their bellies.
Without alerting the couple, the CISF team kept a close watch and quickly informed senior Customs officials. The couple — the man dressed in shirt and trousers, and the woman in a salwar suit — were later stopped and thoroughly checked.
The search revealed a major breakthrough. The couple had concealed gold paste strapped to their upper bodies and stomach area — 16 kg with the woman and 12 kg with the man. Officials believe the paste contains over 20 kilograms of pure gold, valued at more than Rs 20 crore in the international market.
A senior officer part of the operation said this may be the largest gold recovery ever recorded at Surat Airport. He credited the success to effective surveillance and coordination between the CISF and Customs teams.
“This case highlights how behaviour-based observation and timely cooperation can foil even well-planned smuggling attempts,” he noted.
Officials say this seizure is a major blow to gold smuggling networks and could help prevent similar attempts in the future. It also reinforces confidence in the efficiency of airport security systems in India.
The couple have been taken into custody for further investigation. Authorities are now looking into possible links with a larger smuggling syndicate operating through international routes.
This incident adds to the growing list of smuggling attempts being intercepted at Indian airports, with security agencies tightening checks amid rising cases of gold trafficking.
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With inputs by Jitendra