Krunal Pandya questioned for more than 6 hours; luxury watches seized, Airport Customs to continue investigation

Airport Customs will reportedly continue investigating the case related to India cricketer Krunal Pandya. The all-rounder was detained at the Mumbai airport over suspicion of being in possession of undisclosed gold and valuables upon his arrival in the country from the UAE. Krunal was recently in the gulf nation for the just-concluded IPL 2020 where he helped Mumbai Indians retain the title.

As per media reports, he had arrived in India with valuables worth almost INR 1 crore, which was much above the permissible limits as per Indian laws. As per the existing rules, all male passengers coming back to India from other countries can bring gold jewellery up to 20 grams but not costing more than Rs 50,000 as a duty-free allowance.

After being detained, he admitted that he was unaware of the rules and was released only after he issued an apology. The Mumbai Indians all-rounder also agreed to pay the penalty and told the Customs officials that he would not repeat the error. But the case has not been closed yet and the Airport Customs will continue to investigate it, according to India Today.

Watches seized

The report further stated that Krunal Pandya’s luxury watches have been seized by the authorities. The Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) found that the four luxury watches, which were of Omega and Ambular Piguet, were not declared by Pandya to Customs and no duty had been paid for the same. The watches are currently with the Mumbai airport customs for its valuation.

The report also stated that the official started questioning the all-rounder from 5.30 pm and allowed him to leave only around midnight. Once the authorities find the valuation of the watches, the all-rounder will have to pay around 38 per cent of its value as Customs duty. Not only that, but he will also have to pay a penalty which will be decided by the adjudicating authority. He will be able to get back his watches only after the entire process is completed.

Talking about his performance in IPL 2020, Krunal played all 16 games but did not really make a big impression. He scored a modest 109 runs and picked up just 6 wickets with his left-arm spin. But the performances were enough to play a role in Mumbai Indians‘ record fifth IPL title.