Archive · 2 Feb 2026
Mumbai Airport Customs Seize ₹1.77 Crore Gold
Customs officers at Mumbai Airport found a packet of gold hidden under a seat on a flight from Dubai.
The passenger who sat there, Pranav Patil, was caught after he left the gold behind.
The gold was worth ₹1.77 crore.
Patil admitted he was supposed to smuggle the gold but didn't know how to take it out of the plane.
The customs officials are worried that this method could be used to smuggle other illegal items and are investigating further.
Mumbai Airport Customs seized ₹1.77 crore worth of 24-carat gold dust hidden under an aircraft seat on a Dubai flight.
Passenger Pranav Patil (28), a resident of Sangli, was arrested after being intercepted post-security.
Patil admitted to smuggling the gold as per instructions from a handler named Pratik but claimed he didn't know how to retrieve it from the aircraft.
The gold was found in a black-coloured taped packet concealed below a passenger seat, identified by airline security staff.
Customs officials expressed concern that this smuggling method could be exploited for other contraband items, posing a threat to national security.
- Who
- Pranav Patil (28), resident of Sangli
- What
- Seizure of ₹1.77 crore worth of gold dust hidden under an aircraft seat
- When
- February 1, 2024
- Where
- Mumbai Airport, India
- Why
- To smuggle gold into India as per instructions from a handler identified as Pratik
- Location
- Mumbai, India
- Date
- February 1, 2024
- Amount Seized
- ₹1.77 crore worth of gold dust
- Passenger Arrested
- Pranav Patil (28), resident of Sangli
- Flight Origin
- Dubai
- Gold Purity
- 24-carat
- Modus Operandi
- Gold hidden under aircraft seat