Diplomat resigns after being caught smuggling gold worth over Rs 18 cr from Dubai to India

MUMBAI: After it became clear that she has been intercepted, an Afghan Consul General in Mumbai, who tried to smuggle gold worth more than Rs 18 crore from Dubai to India, announced that she is stepping down. The said Afghan diplomat Zakia Wardak was stopped by the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) last week at Mumbai airport and was found to be carrying 25 one-kilogram gold bars.

As Wardak was travelling on a diplomatic passport issued by the erstwhile Afghan government, she wasn’t arrested. According to sources, gold bars were found hidden in pockets sewn into her jacket and a waist belt. She was travelling with her son.

In a statement posted on X, Zakia said she is stepping down because “numerous personal attacks and defamation” had “severely impacted my ability to effectively operate in my role”.

Wardak and her son had five trolley bags, one hand bag, one sling bag and one neck pillow. When asked, they denied carrying any goods or gold for which duty was to be paid. After this, she was shifted to a special room for a physical examination. Then, during the inspection conducted by the female officer, gold was found hidden inside her clothes.