Ahmedabad airport is using artificial intelligence and data analytics to strengthen checks against gold smuggling, drugs and hybrid cannabis, according to a report by Nav Gujarat Samay. The technology is being applied across baggage screening, passenger profiling, CCTV monitoring and the analysis of flight and smuggling patterns.
The Customs department is intensifying measures at the airport, while officers of the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence and the Air Intelligence Unit are maintaining surveillance, the report said. The move follows cases in which Ahmedabad airport was allegedly used by smuggling networks to bring gold into the country.
The report also said the involvement of four Customs officers had emerged in a gold-smuggling case and that action was being taken against them. Following the case, surveillance and investigation systems are being strengthened not only for gold but also for drugs and hybrid cannabis.
At the baggage-screening stage, luggage arriving on international flights is passed through X-ray machines. The images show the objects inside bags and, where an AI-enabled system is in use, software can identify suspicious shapes or items and flag them for manual inspection by officers. The report said AI is being used in scanners at Ahmedabad airport.
Data-led passenger profiling is another part of the reported system. Details of passengers who travel frequently, or who have previously been caught carrying gold or other prohibited items, can be used to create risk profiles. Data analytics may then identify patterns that prompt officers to conduct further checks. Such information is intended to support lawful investigations and risk assessment.
The airport also has a CCTV monitoring room to track passenger movement. AI-based video analytics, where deployed, can help identify activity that matches predefined indicators across large volumes of footage. However, the presence of CCTV monitoring does not by itself establish that AI-based surveillance is operating at every location within the airport.
The reported system also examines flight routes, passenger movement, intelligence inputs and the outcomes of earlier investigations. Particular attention may be given to passengers travelling on flights that convert from international to domestic services, along with related travel and case information. The objective is to identify patterns that could help Customs and intelligence officials investigate suspected gold and drug trafficking.
The report did not provide details on the technology vendor, the number of scanners using AI, the precise criteria used for passenger profiling, or the safeguards governing the collection and retention of passenger data. It also did not specify how many cases had been detected solely through AI-assisted screening. Further operational details will be needed to assess the system’s effectiveness and its impact on passengers.
For now, the reported development places Ahmedabad airport within a wider shift towards technology-assisted customs enforcement, while keeping manual inspection and officer-led investigation central to the screening process.
