India all-rounder Hardik Pandya has been in the news and it’s again for the wrong reasons as the Customs Department of Mumbai on Sunday seized two wrist watches worth Rs 5 crores from the cricketer at the airport on his arrival from Dubai. He was caught for allegedly not having a bill receipt of the watches.
“Customs Department seized two wrist watches worth Rs 5 crores of cricketer Hardik Pandya, on Sunday night (November 14) when he was returning from Dubai. The cricketer did not have the bill receipt of the watches,” Mumbai Customs Department said.
However, Pandya stated issued a statement on social media to clarify what transpired at the airport and also told on social media that the 5 crores costing of the watches is wrong and the worth was Rs 1.5 crore.
Even Virat Kohli loves expensive watches:
While it was a known fact that the Pandya lad loves the bling and shine, it is also worth mentioning that Test skipper Virat Kohli also is fond of expensive watches. The former T20I captain is one of the most expensive players in the world and is also the richest cricketer on the Forbes list with an annual income of Rs 196 crore.
Surely, it won’t be a surprise that the batter also loves wearing fancy watches. He owns some of the most expensive collections of Rolex watches. His Rolex Cosmograph Daytona Rainbow Everose Gold can cost up to Rs. 70 lakh in the market.
He also owns a Rolex Datejust 41 that comes with a diamond-fitted dial in 18 ct gold setting is priced at Rs. 8,55,500/-.
Hardik Pandya’s statement:
As far as the younger Pandya brother is concerned, the all-rounder had issued a statement and said, “Early on Monday morning, 15th November, on my arrival from Dubai, after picking up my luggage, I voluntarily went to Mumbai customs counter to declare the items bought 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,” Pandya said.
“I had voluntarily declared all the items that I’d lawfully purchased from Dubai and was ready to pay whatever duties that needed to be paid. As a matter of fact, the customs department had asked for all purchase documents which were submitted, however, customs is doing the proper valuation for duty which I’ve already confirmed to pay”.
— hardik pandya (@hardikpandya7) November 16, 2021
Notably, last year, Hardik’s brother, Krunal Pandya, was also intercepted at the Mumbai International Airport over suspicion of being in possession of undisclosed gold and other valuables.
