New Delhi, Dec 17 (IANS) In one of the largest such seizures, Customs officers here have seized a consignment of polished diamonds worth Rs 1.56 crore being sent out of India under false labelling, officials said on Friday.
According to the information, the parcel was detected by officers of Air Cargo Export Commissionerate on Thursday.
"When the officials examined a consignment declared as plastic hot fix with a value of Rs 5,000, they got suspicious. The said consignment was then opened. On examination, a packet containing pouches of cut and polished diamonds was found inside it. These diamonds were concealed very ingeniously in the packets of 'plastic hot fix'," said an official.
The official said that packet of diamonds also had the hot fix pasted on it to avoid detection.
The said consignment, worth Rs 1.56 crore, was meant to be sent to Hong Kong.
"This appears to be a unique case of sending diamonds out of the country through concealment in the parcels through air cargo. This is one of the largest seizures of polished diamonds at Air Cargo Export, Delhi in recent times. We have informed the other agencies regarding it," said the official.
To deal with the ongoing Covid pandemic, India's civil aviation regulator on Friday extended the ban on scheduled international commercial flights till November 30.
Modi reached Rome on Friday morning where he will join other G20 leaders in discussions on global economic and health recovery from the pandemic, sustainable development, and climate change in the first in-person summit of the G20 since the outbreak of the pandemic in 2020.
Three females farmers from Punjab died on Thursday after a speeding truck rammed into them near the protest site at Tikri border, police said. Two other women farmers were also injured in the accident which took place at around 6 a.m.
Ahead of Diwali, the Supreme Court on Thursday said the firecracker ban order needs to be strictly followed. A bench headed by Justice M.R. Shah emphasized that it is not against any particular festival, but it is also essential to protect the right to life. The bench also comprising Justice A. S. Bopanna said: "We do not want to come in the way of enjoyment, but for enjoyment one cannot play with the fundamental right of others."
Lakhbir's family -- wife, daughter, brother and father -- went to meet Union Home Minister Amit Shah at his residence but as he was unavailable, they met the staff of the Home Minister and put forth their demands.
Organised by EcoSikh and Clean Air Punjab, a citizen's collective working on the issue of air pollution, over 50 prominent citizens across the state attended the meeting.
