Customs officers seized 172 grammes of gold hidden in dates.

Airport personnel intercepted a 56-year-old male traveller at Indira Gandhi International (IGI) Airport in New Delhi, India, as he attempted to pass through the Green Channel on February 26.

The passenger had reportedly arrived on flight SV-756 from Jeddah.

Authorities became suspicious when X-ray scans of his luggage revealed unusual items, prompting an investigation based on intelligence-based profiling.

He also reportedly set off the door frame metal detector (DFMD), indicating the presence of metallic objects on him.

Customs officers then confiscated 172 grammes of gold fragments and a gold necklace concealed within dates.

Footage shows officials removing the dates from the bag and tearing them open one by one, revealing the gold inside.

A 2024 study estimated that 150 to 200 tonnes of gold are smuggled into India annually, much of it absorbed into the grey market. This illicit gold is often melted down, crafted into jewellery, and exported to countries such as the UAE.

A person caught smuggling gold in India can face seizure of assets, heavy fines, and imprisonment of up to 7 years under the Customs Act, FEMA, PMLA, and IPC, especially if the value exceeds 10 million Indian Rupees (approximately 90,530 GBP).

Gold demand has soared in recent years fueled by inflation, political instability and wars in the Middle East and Ukraine. The price has hit record highs with central governments - notably China and Russia - buying up large quantities of the precious metal as a hedge against the dollar and the power of the West.

Controversial banker JP Morgan famously said: 'Gold is money, everything else is credit.'

However, some investors remain cynical of the benefits of gold, which was dubbed the 'barbarous relic' by economist John Maynard Keynes, who believed it had limited uses.

Stock market doyen Warren Buffet is similarly dismissive of gold, which he does not hold in his investments.

He said: 'Gold gets dug out of the ground in Africa, or someplace. Then we melt it down, dig another hole, bury it again and pay people to stand around guarding it.'