Two men arrested trying to smuggle $136,000 in iPhones into India

What you need to know

• Two men have been arrested after trying to smuggle 80 iPhones into India.
• The iPhones came from Sharjah and the men were trying to avoid paying tax on the imports.

That's 80 iPhone 12 Pro and iPhone 12 Pro Max handsets.

Two men have been arrested at the Rajiv Gandhi International Airport in Hyderabad after they attempted to smuggle 80 iPhones into India without paying the required taxes.

Originating from Sharjah in the United Arab Emirates, the two men attempted to ring the iPhone 12 Pro and iPhone 12 Pro Max handsets into the country via checked-in luggage but were ultimately foiled by officials according to The Indian Express.

As many as 80 iPhones, worth over Rs 1 crore, were seized by Customs officials at the Rajiv Gandhi International Airport in Hyderabad on Thursday. The officials arrested two passengers to whom the checked-in luggage belonged and another person involved in the smuggling attempt.

The pair attempted to flee the scene but were caught once the iPhones had been discovered in bags left near the luggage collection area. Officials confirmed that iPhones "valued at Rs 1,00,65,000" were seized. At the time of writing that converts to around $136,000.

The accused persons are involved in the organized smuggling of dutiable goods in commercial quantity, said a statement. "The smuggled goods valued at Rs 1,00,65,000 were seized under the provisions of the Customs Act, 1962. Further, Rs 4,00,000 in cash was also seized from one of the above persons under the provisions of the Customs Act, 1962. Further investigation is under progress."

Not paying tax on your iPhone is indeed one way to make it cheaper to buy, but there are better and more legal ways. Like checking our collection of the best iPhone deals for a start!