A passenger returning from the United States has alleged that he was held for more than nine hours at Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International Airport over a gold chain and two mobile phones, including an alleged demand for cash by an on-duty customs officer. Delhi Customs has denied wrongdoing, saying the amounts collected were lawful duties and that a valid receipt was issued.
The incident involving Haryana resident Anubhav Kumar was reported after he described his experience in a social media post shared on 31 October. According to the account cited by Live Hindustan – NCR, Kumar arrived in India from the US at about 12:30 pm and was stopped for customs examination.
Kumar said a senior woman officer initially allowed him to leave after the examination, but another officer stopped him again to question him about a gold chain and two personal mobile phones. He said the chain had been in his possession for more than 10 years and that the phones were being used for personal and business purposes, with active SIM cards.
According to his account, customs officials initially sought approximately Rs 6 lakh in duty for the gold chain and Rs 65,000 for the phones. He said he showed them the purchase bill for one phone and requested that the gold chain be re-exported. He also said he was prepared to pay the applicable duty on the phones, but claimed that his requests were not accepted immediately.
Kumar alleged that he was subjected to intimidating and disrespectful treatment during the process. He also claimed that a senior officer responded aggressively when he tried to explain his position in English. He said several other passengers had been stopped before and after him without clear reasons, although the report does not provide independent confirmation of those claims.
Kumar further alleged that an officer on duty initially sought Rs 20,000 in cash for personal use and said that the amount had to be paid before he could deposit a separate Rs 20,000 as legal tax. He also alleged that additional money was sought to re-export the gold chain. These allegations have not been independently established in the report.
Kumar said the matter changed after ACO Neeraj Gupta intervened following nearly nine hours of waiting. He stated that Gupta instructed officials to follow the correct procedure and permitted the gold jewellery to be re-exported. Kumar said he was still made to wait after the intervention, and that his family had been waiting outside the airport since his arrival.
Responding to the complaint, Delhi Customs expressed regret for the inconvenience caused. The department said the passenger had been informed about the applicable Indian customs baggage rules and clearance procedures relating to the gold jewellery and mobile phones. It said permission was granted to re-export the jewellery and that customs duty of Rs 40,250 was assessed and collected for clearance of the mobile phones.
Delhi Customs also said a valid receipt was provided for the amount collected. The department did not, in the response reported by Live Hindustan – NCR, separately address the passenger’s allegation that an officer demanded an unauthorised cash payment. The department concluded its response by apologising for the difficulties Kumar experienced during the process.
