Saudi Passenger Held at India's Delhi Airport for Smuggling Gold Hidden in Electric Scooter Tyres

NEW DELHI, Aug 7: Customs officials at Indira Gandhi International Airport (IGI), New Delhi, have seized 869.5 grams of 24-carat gold concealed inside the tyres of an electric scooter and booked a case of gold smuggling.

The passenger, who travelled from Jeddah to Mumbai and later to Delhi on IndiGo flight 6E-6133 on August 6, 2026, was intercepted at Terminal-1 based on intelligence inputs and passenger profiling. The passenger was carrying household items along with an electric scooter as checked-in baggage.

During X-ray screening of the passenger’s hand and checked-in baggage, customs officials detected suspicious images. Although the passenger did not trigger any alarm while passing through the Door Frame Metal Detector (DFMD), officials conducted a detailed examination of the scooter.

The inspection led to the recovery of 19 cut pieces of 24-carat gold weighing 869.5 grams, which had been cleverly concealed inside the solid core of the scooter tyres in an attempt to evade customs detection. A case has been registered and further investigation is underway.