Hardik Pandya's Luxury Watches Seized at Mumbai Airport; Cricketer Says 'Voluntarily Declared All Items'

Officials of the Mumbai Customs Department have seized two wrist watches of cricketer Hardik Pandya when he was returning from Dubai on Monday morning. According to the department, Pandya allegedly did not have the bill receipt of the luxury watches. Earlier it was reported that the cost of the watch was Rs 5 crores, however, Pandya himself has denied the claim and said the cost of the watch is approximately Rs 1.5 crore.

The incident took place when Team India players landed at the Mumbai International Airport from UAE after facing defeat at the ICC T20 World Cup 2021. Pandya was also part of the team.

Taking to Twitter, Pandya clarified that he “voluntarily declared” all the items at Mumbai airport and was ready to pay whatever duties that need to be paid. “…I voluntarily went to Mumbai airport customs counter to declare the items brought by me and pay the requisite customs duty. Wrong perceptions have been floating around on social media regarding my declaration to customs at Mumbai airport, and I would like to clarify about what transpired,” he said in a statement.

“I had voluntarily declared all the items that I’d lawfully purchased from Dubai and was ready to pay whatever duties that need to be paid. As a matter of fact, the customs department had asked for all purchase documents which were submitted; however, the customs is doing proper valuation for duty which I’ve already confirmed to pay. The cost of the watch is approximately Rs 1.5 crore and not Rs 5 crores as per rumours floating around in social media,” he added.

Calling all allegations against him of crossing any legal boundaries “totally unfounded”, he said, “I’m a law-abiding citizen of the country and I respect all government agencies. I’ve received all cooperation from the Mumbai customs department and I’ve assured my full cooperation to them and will provide them with whatever legitimate documents they need to get this matter cleared.”

Last year, his brother and cricketer Krunal Pandya was detained at the T2 International Airport in Mumbai by the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) for allegedly being in possession of undisclosed high-end watches and gold worth close to Rs 1 crore.

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