Two Kenyans Intercepted at an Indian Airport for Smuggling Gold Worth Sh113 Million

Police in India are holding two Kenyan nationals who were caught trying to smuggle gold worth millions of shillings into the Asian nation.

The Times of India reports that the two were intercepted at the Indira Gandhi International Airport (IGIA) in Delhi after arriving from Nairobi via Addis Ababa, Ethiopia on Monday morning.

Customs officers seized gold worth Rs 7.5 crore (Sh113.9 million) from the two Kenyan men in what was described as one of the biggest seizures in the recent past.

A search resulted in the recovery of 19 gold bars collectively weighing 15.57 kg concealed in specially made pockets, customs officials said. An official said the tariff value of the seized gold is around Rs 7.5 crore.

One of the suspects admitted to have visited India four to five times in the past and carried gold on each occasion, while the second accused said he was a first-time visitor.

“This is a new route. The involvement of Kenyan nationals in gold smuggling is not very common too,” a senior official said.