NEW DELHI, Oct 27: In a scene straight out of a crime thriller, Delhi Customs officials exposed a daring gold smuggling attempt that unfolded at Indira Gandhi International Airport. A returning Air India passenger from Dubai tried to outsmart authorities by hiding gold worth nearly ₹20 lakh (69750 Kuwaiti Dinar)  in one of the most unsuspecting places imaginable — the cap of a plastic water bottle.

The drama began when the passenger, freshly landed from Dubai on October 25, strolled confidently toward the green channel, the exit meant for travelers with nothing to declare. His demeanor was calm, almost rehearsed — but little did he know that sharp-eyed customs officials had been discreetly tailing him since he stepped off the plane.

As he attempted to slip through unnoticed, officers intercepted him for a routine check. His luggage was sent through the X-ray scanner, where something unusual caught the attention of the screening staff — faint but suspicious shapes hidden in plain sight. What looked like an ordinary water bottle cap turned out to be a cleverly engineered hiding spot.

Upon closer inspection, officials uncovered a round piece of gold, expertly concealed beneath the cap’s lining. The discovery stunned even the most seasoned officers — a smuggler’s ingenuity foiled by sheer vigilance. The seized gold, weighing 170 grams, was immediately confiscated under the Customs Act, 1962, and a full investigation is now underway to uncover whether this passenger was part of a larger smuggling network.

Remarkably, this was the second gold smuggling attempt in as many days. Just 24 hours earlier, customs officers at the same airport had intercepted a woman arriving from Yangon, Myanmar. Her luggage search revealed six gleaming gold bars weighing nearly a kilogram — 997.5 grams in total — neatly tucked away in her belongings.

The back-to-back busts highlight how Delhi’s international gateway has become a prime battleground in the ongoing war against gold smuggling. And as authorities intensify their watch, smugglers seem to be getting ever more inventive — from bottle caps to body cavities — in their relentless bid to beat the system.

But this time, the sparkle of gold couldn’t outshine the vigilance of Delhi Customs.