New Delhi: How much gold was seized by officials of the customs department and Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) at the 22 international airports in India over the last five years?

The answer is 10,202 kg and this haul is valued at Rs 5,867 crore.

Now comes the most interesting part.

Of the 5,689 people arrested across India in gold smuggling cases during this period, only 16 people have been convicted in the last five years.

The Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport in Mumbai accounted for nearly 25% of the seizures. As much as 2,578.4 kg of gold worth Rs 1,460 crore was seized from there. The Indira Gandhi International Airport in Delhi contributed 1,370.96 kg that was valued at Rs 742 crore, with Chennai following with 1,274.25 kg worth Rs 676 crore. The seizure from Calicut International Airport was 1,159.11 kg, worth Rs 591 crore.

The seizures from the airports at Bengaluru and Mangalore were 441.58 kg (Rs 263 crore) and 135.85 kg (Rs 75 crore) respectively.

Data released by the Ministry of Finance recently revealed the highest amount of smuggled gold seized was in 2023-24. There has been a decline in the number of cases since 2024-25, Parliament was informed recently.

As per the reply in the Rajya Sabha, the Central Board of Indirect Taxation and Customs (CBIC) attributed the seizures to constant vigil and 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.

According to officials, the main reasons for poor conviction include the lengthy legal process, where the accused persons can approach higher courts.

For those who stay abroad for more than a year, men are allowed to carry gold worth Rs 50,000, while women can bring in gold worth Rs 1 lakh without paying any duty. If such people carry larger amounts and declare them at the airport, they are charged 6% customs duty.

For others, a reasonable amount of gold is permitted by paying 35% customs duty. Such gold can be re-exported.

Seized gold is deposited with the Reserve Bank of India mint, which evaluates the gold and sets aside the money in nationalised banks. If the accused person wins the case the money is transferred to her/his bank account.