Maybe it should say "scaMMing arrivals ...".

Travellers to India are being searched for gold ornaments by customs officials at major airports across the country.

An Indian law dating back to the 1960s states that those travelling to India are supposed to pay tax for carrying any gold valued at more than Rs20,000 (Dh1,379).

What’s strange is that a man is allowed to carry 50 per cent less gold in comparison to a female traveller, on his person as jewellery.

Indian airports have been conducting stringent checks on most travellers and asking them to shell out duty for any gold ornaments over the stipulated amount.

Last week two Indian men, including a groom who was on his way to India for his wedding, was stopped at the airport by customs.

“I had to negotiate and argue with them for almost 45 minutes to an hour," said Santosh from Bangalore.

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Travelers to India are being scanned for gold and gold ornaments in the country's major airports in an effort to collect duties on gold amounts exceeding a law-defined maximum.

According to an Indian law enacted in 1967, people traveling to India are obliged to pay a duty for carrying any gold ornaments valued at more than Rs20,000 (roughly $375 at today's exchange rate); for males the allowed amount is lower by half: Rs10,000 (roughly $185).

At current gold prices, the amount of gold one can carry without paying additional custom duties is tiny. An Indian woman on average wears a gold chain weighing 16-25 grams at least, which at the current price would be worth at least US$845-1,320 and exceeds the tax-free allowance.

http://www.emirates247.com/news/emirates/nris-facing-special-gold-scans-at-major-indian-airports-2012-05-02-1.456769

Strange how the "1st worlders" have been conned into the belief that paper and data entries are money, but the "3rd worlders" still know better.