'Rs 1.5 crore not Rs 5 crore': Hardik Pandya breaks silence on watch seized by customs at Mumbai airport
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Star Indian cricketer took to Twitter to clarify after reports of his 'Rs 5 crore (INR 50 million)' watch being seized at Mumbai airport went viral.
Star Indian cricketer Hardik Pandya took to Twitter to issue a clarification on Monday (November 15) after reports of his 'Rs 5 crore (INR 50 million)' watch being seized at Mumbai airport went viral. The watch was seized by the customs officials at Mumbai airport after Hardik's return from Dubai post the conclusion of India's campaign in the T20 World Cup 2021 last week.
Hardik released a statement on Twitter and clarified that the watch seized by the customs department at Mumbai airport was worth Rs 1.5 crore (INR 15 million) and not Rs 5 crore as speculated. Reports also claimed that Hardik had failed to produce any bill or related document for the watch which led to its seizure. However, the cricketer denied the allegations and said he voluntarily declared all items and submitted all the purchase documents.
"I voluntarily went to Mumbai airport customs counter to declare the items brought 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," the India all-rounder 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 proper valuation for duty which I've already confirmed to pay.
"The cost of the watch is approximately ₹ 1.5 crore and not ₹ 5 crore as per the rumours floating around on social media. I'm a law-abiding citizen of the country and I respect all government agencies. I've received all the cooperation from the Mumbai customs department and I've assured my full cooperation to them and will provide them with whatever legitimate documents they need to get this matter cleared. All allegations against me of crossing any legal boundaries are totally unfounded," he added.
Hardik was part of the Indian squad that was in action in the recently-concluded T20 World Cup 2021 and played all five matches for the Men in Blue in the Super 12. He didn't have a great tournament on the personal front as the all-rounder could only manage 69 runs and went wicket-less with the ball.
Hardik has not been selected in India's T20I squad for the upcoming series against New Zealand at home and will be eager to make his comeback in the side with impressive performances in the domestic circuit.