Shah Rukh Khan halted at Mumbai Airport over a customs duty muddle

Mumbai: Shah Rukh Khan was reportedly stopped at the Mumbai International Airport during the early hours of Saturday, for over an hour, after the authorities found dutiable goods consisting of expensive watches and winder cases worth Rs. 18 lakhs.

According to Air Intelligence Unit (AIU) officials, Khan’s flight landed at around 12:30, at the private (VIP) terminal. He was accompanied by a team of six members, including bodyguards and a private assistant.

“VIPs usually land at general aviation (GA) and since there are infrequent flights, the duty officers are just two personnel. They found dutiable goods in the luggage, which was later alerted to the T2 (Terminal 2) as GA has a small set-up,” said an official at AIU.

Khan was taken to T2 from GA, in order to finish the formalities by the authorities.

The matter went on for over an hour

He further added that the matter went on for over an hour as the goods in the case were “gift items” as mentioned by the actor, to the authorities. “Gift items do not have invoices, so calculating the customs duty took a while. However, after the process, he (Khan) was given the challan of Rs. 6.88 lakhs custom duty, and the matter was wrapped up. It was a routine case of customs duty, and not a great deal,” the official added.

In the statement, Khan reported the items as “gifted’. The gift items consisted of multiple luxury brands of watches and winder cases, etc. The official even added that the actor cooperated during the procedure throughout the time he was present at the airport.

He was reportedly returning to Mumbai after attending the 41st Sharjah International Book Fair on Friday, where he was honoured with the Global Icon of Cinema and Cultural Narrative award for his contributions to the International Icon of Cinema and Culture.

This is not the first time that Khan has been stopped

This is not the first time that the superstar has been stopped at Mumbai airport. Back in 2011, he made headlines when he was interrogated by a team of customs officials for carrying excess baggage and not declaring foreign goods that attracted duty, and was fined Rs 1.5 lakh.

Meanwhile, on the work front, SRK is gearing up for the release of his spy-actioner 'Pathaan'. Also starring Deepika Padukone and John Abraham, the film is slated to release on January 25, 2023.

Besides, he also has 'Jawan' and 'Dunki' in the pipeline, along with a cameo in Salman Khan's 'Tiger 3'.