Ahmedabad: Customs officials have seized 24 gold bars worth more than Rs 4.26 crore from a lavatory aboard a flight arriving from Dubai at Ahmedabad airport, authorities said on Saturday.

According to the Customs Air Intelligence Unit, the gold was discovered during a search of an IndiGo aircraft operating flight 6E-1478 from Dubai to Ahmedabad on Friday.

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Officials said the precious metal had been concealed inside the speaker box of the aircraft’s front lavatory. Two pouches containing the gold bars, wrapped in black plastic tape, were recovered during the inspection.

The seized gold weighed 2,799.3 grams and was valued at approximately Rs 4.27 crore in the market, the Customs department said.

Investigators believe the gold had been hidden with the intention of smuggling it into India while evading Customs duty. However, no claimant came forward to take ownership of the consignment.

The gold has been seized as unclaimed under the provisions of the Customs Act, 1962. Customs officials said further investigations are underway to identify those responsible and determine the intended recipient of the consignment.

PTI