3 min readNew DelhiUpdated: Jul 17, 2026 05:52 PM IST
The 21-year-old son of Kuber Group director Vikas Malu was arrested by the Customs Department at Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International Airport earlier this month in connection with the alleged attempt to smuggle three luxury wristwatches valued at around Rs 8.7 crore.
Vineet Malu, a co-managing director of the Kuber Group, was arrested on July 7 and granted bail by a Delhi court on the same day. He was also ordered to furnish a personal bond of Rs 2 lakh with two local sureties of the same amount.
Why court granted bail
Duty Judicial Magistrate First Class (Patiala House Courts) Charan Salwan noted that the watches had already been recovered and observed that Vineet was wearing one watch, while the other two were in his bag. “In my considered opinion, he was not concealing any of the watches,” the order said.
“Upon a careful consideration of the application for remand, it appears that the grounds put forth for seeking custody are stated in a routine and mechanical manner. The application does not disclose any specific facts or compelling circumstances demonstrating the necessity for custodial interrogation,” it said.
“The accused is a young boy of 21 years of age. It is stated by the IO that the accused has no previous involvement,” it added.
The court directed him to cooperate with the Customs Department’s investigation, not tamper with evidence or influence witnesses, and not leave India without prior permission. He was also directed to surrender his passport within two days if it had not already been seized by Customs.
Rolex, Patek Philippe watches
According to the magistrate’s order, Customs officers diverted Vineet for baggage screening based on spot profiling and suspicion as he crossed the green channel and approached the airport exit. Officers allegedly first noticed a Rolex wristwatch on his wrist, following which his baggage was scanned.
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The order states that the X-ray scan revealed two more luxury wristwatches in his trolley bag. When asked whether he was carrying any dutiable, prohibited or contraband goods, including gold items, Malu allegedly replied in the negative.
He was then taken to Terminal 3 for a detailed examination, during which Customs recovered three watches — a rose-gold Rolex, a gold-coloured Patek Philippe, and a silver/platinum Patek Philippe with a blue dial. A chartered engineer assessed their combined value at around Rs 8.7 crore.