Bhubaneswar: In a major seizure, officials of the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI), Bhubaneswar Regional Unit, intercepted three Indian passengers who arrived from Abu Dhabi at the Biju Patnaik International Airport (BPIA) on Tuesday and recovered undeclared goods valued at around ₹27 lakh.
Acting on specific intelligence, DRI officials examined the passengers’ checked-in baggage and recovered a large quantity of smuggled goods, including 38,400 cigarettes, 4,000 cigars, and 1,228 e-cigarette cartridges. The officers also seized six DJI MIC Mini wireless microphones and ten refurbished Dell Latitude laptops concealed within the luggage.
The passengers failed to produce valid documents for the goods during questioning. The DRI suspects that the items were brought into the country to evade customs duty and were likely intended for illegal sale in the local market.
The recovered items have been handed over to the Air Intelligence Unit (AIU) of Bhubaneswar Customs for further investigation. The seizure has been made under relevant provisions of the Customs Act, 1962.
Further inquiry is underway to trace the masterminds and identify the smuggling network operating behind the consignment.
Notably, earlier this month, on October 4, DRI officials had seized hydroponic weed worth ₹3 crore and detained a youth at the Bhubaneswar Airport, highlighting an increasing trend of high-value smuggling attempts through the city airport.
