2 Indians Caught Smuggling Gold from Dubai, Another wins $ 1 Million in Dubai Duty Free Draw!
Dubai seems to be the bearer of good and bad news for Indians.
In a case of opposing fortunes, one Indian national wins a huge lottery of sorts at the Dubai airport, while a couple of his compatriots flying in from Dubai are nabbed at New Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International Airport for trying to sneak in nearly 1.5 Kg of gold. In the latter case, custom officials sniffed out the three undeclared slabs which together bear a value of Rs. 91.44 lakhs. That translates to AED 403,374 or approximately USD 110,000.
This seizure of the precious metal comes days after 5 Uzbekistanis were intercepted at the same airport with an undeclared treasure amounting to Rs. 1.92 Crore or roughly USD 230,000. The incidents of gold smuggling into India have increased by a third since 2022, probably due to the hike in import duty from 7.5% to 12.5%. However, the fines that the guilty are likely to be slapped with will be much higher.
Meanwhile, fortune is shining bright on an Indian citizen at the other end of the commute. Indeed, Mr. Chimalakonda Krishna is winner of USD 1 Million from the Dubai Duty Free Millennium Millionaire Promotion Draw. Indeed, the virtual coupon that Mr. Krishna purchased online on May 8 has turned out to be quite the golden ticket. Oddly enough, authorities have not been able to track down the winner who is based in India. What a surprise he’s in for when he hears the grand news!
Meanwhile, other categories of the same Draw yielded three winners of luxury vehicles, two of whom are Indians. Henry Paul, who is a UAE-based MNC’s General Manager, gets to drive away with a Mercedes Benz S 500; while Ajasmon K.S., a Sharjah resident, finds himself in the driver’s seat of a spanking new Aprilia Tuono V4 Factory 1100; and Emirati gentleman Ebrahim Al Nuaima is the proud owner of a Mercedes Benz G 63. These guys are certainly “going places”... and that too in style.
