Rs 19 crore in cash, Rs 4 crore in gold: Indian man’s Dubai flight ends in Zambia arrest

NEW DELHI: An Indian man’s flight to Dubai turned into an unscheduled stop at a Zambian holding cell after he was caught with Rs 19.32 crore in cash and suspected gold worth Rs 4.15 crore tucked neatly inside his luggage.
The 27-year-old was intercepted at Kenneth Kaunda International Airport in Lusaka, Zambia, just before takeoff. The country’s Drug Enforcement Commission (DEC) said the man had carefully packed $2.32 million (yep, that’s 23,20,000 dollars) in crisp $100 bills, secured with rubber bands and hidden inside a suitcase. Alongside the money: seven gold pieces estimated to be worth $500,000 (around Rs 4 crore and counting).
Photos shared by Zambian media looked straight out of a heist film: bricks of cash jammed into a black bag, hidden inside a larger travel case, as if gold and dollars were just socks and toothpaste.
“Investigations are ongoing,” DEC said in a statement, issuing a warning to “those involved in trans-national organised crimes” that “the long arm of the law will catch up with them soon.”
Zambia may be rich in minerals like copper and gold, but over 60% of its population lives below the poverty line. That makes flashy seizures like this one headline material.
This isn’t Zambia’s first gold-and-cash airport story. In 2023, five Egyptians were arrested when their plane landed with 127 kilograms of gold and $5.7 million in cash. They flew home after espionage charges were dropped.
Meanwhile, our 27-year-old traveller may be spending some extra time in Lusaka. No connecting flight. No duty-free shopping. Just questions, statements, and a very long wait.