Bhubaneswar: Acting on specific intelligence, 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) here on Tuesday.

During the examination of their checked-in baggage, officials recovered a large quantity of undeclared goods, including 38,400 cigarettes, 4,000 cigars, and 1,228 e-cigarette cartridges. The officers also found six DJI MIC Mini wireless microphones and ten refurbished Dell Latitude laptops.

Items worth Rs 27 lakh seized

According to the DRI, the total value of the seized items is estimated at around ₹27 lakh. The passengers were unable to provide valid documents for the goods.

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 the provisions of the Customs Act, 1962.

Officials suspect that the seized goods were being smuggled into the country to evade customs duty and were intended for illegal sale in the local market. Further inquiry is underway to trace the masterminds behind the operation.

Earlier this month, on October 4, the DRI officials had seized hydroponic weed worth ₹3 crore and detained a youth at the Bhubaneswar Airport.