CISF Foils ₹4.93 Crore Diamond Smuggling at Mumbai Airport Bid Hidden in Laptop

Mumbai: The Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) personnel at Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International (CSMI) Airport in Mumbai detected and prevented the smuggling of synthetic diamonds worth approximately ₹4.93 crore. The diamonds were recovered during a detailed inspection of a passenger’s bag, according to officials.

The incident occurred on Wednesday at around 1:18 am, when Bharatbhai Govindbhai Nathani, an Indian passenger traveling to Bangkok via NOK Airlines flight DD 939, arrived at Terminal 2 for departure. 

After completing his check-in formalities, he proceeded to the security screening area with his hand baggage.

During the screening of his laptop bag, the CISF screener noticed a suspicious image on the X-ray scanner. 

Upon further inspection, the laptop’s battery compartment appeared to contain an unidentified foreign object. The security team flagged the bag for further examination.

According to CISF, the synthetic diamonds were cleverly concealed inside the battery compartment of a laptop. The officers discovered 26 small transparent packets filled with diamonds, which had a total weight of approximately 2,147.20 carats.

The passenger carrying the smuggled goods was immediately taken into custody and handed over to the Air Intelligence Unit (AIU) and Customs officials at Mumbai Airport for further investigation. Officials began questioning the suspect to determine the source and intended destination of the diamonds.

Authorities suspected that the smuggling attempt was part of a larger operation, and further investigations were initiated.