New Delhi: Three Indian passengers have been charged for attempting to smuggle drones and their parts worth Rs 1 crore. These passengers had arrived at IGI Airport on Sept 25 from Hong Kong via Vietnam.During Customs proceedings, the passengers were subjected to a baggage search, which resulted in the recovery of 10 autel robotics mdx-1 drones, 11 remote controllers of autel robotics mdx-1 drones, 10 adaptors, 10 USB chargers, 20 data cables, 40 remote controller joysticks and other parts. They also recovered one iPhone 18 Pro Max 512 GB.“Chartered engineer informed Customs officers that these are professional-grade drones with thermal imaging and laser range-finder and are military/defence grade UAV. They also require mandatory DGCA registration for each drone. The total market value was assessed at Rs 1 crore,” said a Customs official.The passengers told officials that the drones and their parts were brought from Hong Kong for a friend who owns them. “One passenger also stated that he intentionally smuggled these drones into India without declaration to the Customs authorities and without payment of applicable Customs duty,” said the official.
