South Korean woman held at IGIA with 7 gold bars

According to customs officers, the woman was intercepted following a tip-off when she landed at Terminal 3 from Incheon, South Korea, during the early hours on Saturday.

Customs at the Indira Gandhi International Airport (IGIA) Saturday arrested a 55-year-old South Korean woman for allegedly trying to smuggle into the country seven gold bars worth ₹2.4 crore. Officers said the woman had concealed the gold bars in a microscope that she was carrying.

According to customs officers, the woman was intercepted following a tip-off when she landed at Terminal 3 from Incheon, South Korea, during the early hours on Saturday. The woman was asked to cooperate for frisking and baggage check.

“The woman was found with a microscope. When we put it through the X-ray scanner, we found gold concealed in it. The microscope was then dismantled and we recovered seven gold bars from it. When asked, the woman said that she had been handed the gold by some unidentified men and she was paid to carry it to Delhi. She claimed it was her first time as a carrier,” an officer, who did not wish to be named, said.

The gold bars were found hidden in the stand of the microscope, the officer said.

He said the woman was told that some people would contact her in Delhi to take the gold from her. “Efforts to identify her sources are being made,” the officer said.

Additional commissioner, customs, Amandeep Singh said the South Korean woman was arrested and the gold was seized.