Watch: Passenger caught with 870g gold hidden inside electric scooter tyres at Delhi airport

Indian customs officials uncovered an unusual hiding spot for nearly 870 grams of gold at Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International Airport, where the precious metal had been concealed inside the tyres of an electric scooter.

Delhi Customs shared details of the seizure on Thursday, August 6, saying its Air Intelligence Unit recovered 869.5 grams of 24-carat gold during an operation at IGI Airport.

The passenger was travelling from Jeddah to Mumbai before continuing to Delhi on flight 6E-6133. Acting on intelligence and passenger profiling, customs officials intercepted the traveller at Terminal 1 for further inspection.

Among the passenger’s checked-in baggage was an electric scooter, which drew the attention of customs officials after X-ray screening revealed suspicious images.

Although the passenger did not trigger the airport’s door frame metal detector, officers carried out a closer examination of the scooter.

Their inspection led to the discovery of 19 pieces of 24-carat gold weighing a total of 869.5 grams. The gold had been carefully concealed inside the solid cores of the scooter’s tyres, in an apparent attempt to evade customs checks.

The unusual concealment was uncovered during the detailed inspection, with Delhi Customs saying further investigation into the case is underway.

Salma El Omla is a digital journalist who is passionate about uncovering the human side of every story and rarely spotted without notebook in hand. She enjoys good coffee and loves exploring new hobbies.