Krunal Pandya reportedly apologizes to Mumbai airport staff after carrying luxury watches and gold worth INR 1 crore

Indian all-rounder Krunal Pandya was returning to Mumbai from Dubai after his IPL franchise Mumbai Indians (MI) lifted their fifth coveted T20 Trophy by defeating Delhi Capitals (DC) in the final by 5 wickets at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium. He had boarded a chartered Indigo flight from the United Arab Emirates (UAE) on November 12.

However, the senior Pandya had invited trouble for himself when he was detained by the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) at the Mumbai International Airport for carrying gold jewellery and other valuables items with him. Notably, the passengers are allowed to carry a fixed amount of gold with them. If they wish to travel with more jewellery, they have to inform about the same at the customs and have to pay the import duty.

“Cricketer Krunal Pandya stopped by Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) at the Mumbai International Airport over suspicion of being in possession of undisclosed gold and other valuables, while returning from UAE,” DRI sources had said.

Krunal Pandya agrees to pay penalty for his foul

It is now learned that Krunal was in possession of luxury watches and other gold jewellery worth about INR 1 crore. He also had the expensive items gifted to him by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI). Speaking about the offence made by the cricketer, a DRI officer revealed that the case has been referred to the customs department as it was a non-occurring type.

“Pandya was detained and luxury watches were found. As the case is small by DRI standards and also as it is a non-recurring type, it is being handed over to Airport Customs by DRI, as per normal practice,” a senior DRI officer was quoted as saying by Times Now.

It is also reported that the all-rounder has apologised for his mistake to the concerned Airport authorities and has clarified that he was unaware of the rules and regulations regarding carrying the gold and other luxury items. He has also agreed to pay the penalties and import duty for bringing these items to India without informing and has ensured that such incidents won’t be repeated in the future.