Customs officials at Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International Airport have charged three Indian passengers for allegedly attempting to smuggle military-grade drones and their parts worth around Rs 1 crore into the country. The passengers arrived at the airport on September 25 on a flight from Hong Kong via Vietnam.

During a baggage inspection, Customs officials recovered 10 Autel Robotics MDX-1 drones and 11 remote controllers meant for the same drones. Officials also seized 10 adaptors, 10 USB chargers, 20 data cables, 40 remote controller joysticks and other drone-related parts.

An iPhone 18 Pro Max with 512 GB storage was also recovered in the search. Customs officials assessed the total market value of the seized drones and equipment at around Rs 1 crore.

A chartered engineer examined the drones and informed Customs officials about their capabilities. “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.

According to Customs officials, the drones required mandatory registration with the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA). Their thermal imaging and laser range-finding capabilities were among the features that led the chartered engineer to classify them as professional-grade and military/defence-grade unmanned aerial vehicles.

During questioning, the passengers told officials that they had brought the drones and related equipment from Hong Kong for a friend who owns them. Customs officials also recorded a statement from one of the passengers admitting that the drones were intentionally brought into India without being declared to Customs authorities.

“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.

The seized equipment included multiple components required to operate and control the drones. The recovery of 11 remote controllers, along with joysticks, chargers, adaptors and data cables, formed part of the consignment intercepted during the baggage search.

Customs officials have charged all three passengers in connection with the alleged smuggling attempt. The case involves the import of drones classified as military/defence-grade UAVs, along with their accessories and other components, without declaration and payment of applicable Customs duty.