Woman caught smuggling 26 iPhone 16 Pro Max devices at Delhi airport

In a crackdown on smuggling, customs officials at Indira Gandhi International (IGI) Airport apprehended a woman passenger on Tuesday, who was attempting to smuggle 26 iPhone 16 Pro Max devices from Hong Kong to Delhi. The iPhone 16 series was launched earlier this month and the Pro Max is Apple’s most premium flagship phone. Here is what happened.
According to reports from ANI, the arrest followed specific intelligence inputs, prompting customs authorities to intercept the passenger upon her arrival. The iPhones were found cleverly concealed in a vanity bag, wrapped in tissue paper in an apparent attempt to evade detection.
“Based on intelligence, Delhi Airport Customs intercepted a lady passenger travelling from Hong Kong to Delhi carrying 26 iPhone 16 Pro Max concealed inside her vanity bag,” an official spokesperson confirmed.

The market value of the seized iPhones is quite big if we go by the Indian pricing of the iPhone 16 series. The iPhone 16 Pro Max starts at Rs 1,44,900 for the 256GB variant, while the 512GB and 1TB models are priced at Rs 1,64,900 and Rs 1,84,900, respectively.
Customs officials have indicated that further investigations are underway to understand the broader implications of this case, including any potential networks involved in the smuggling operation.
As the demand for the latest iPhone models continues to rise in India, authorities are on high alert to prevent illegal importation. It is worth noting that this is not the first time that something like this has happened because we hear such type of news every year.