Team India all-rounder Hardik Pandya had to relinquish two wristwatches to customs officials in the Mumbai airport. As per reports, 2 luxury watches- each worth more than INR 5 Crores- were confiscated from Hardik on his return to Indian shores.
A series of tweets conveyed via ABP Live’s Twitter account revealed that the incident happened last Sunday night, when the Indian team had just returned from the UAE following their exit from the World T20. On arrival, the customs officers in-charge found Hardik, one of the squad’s 15 members, in possession of 2 expensive wristwatches.
Hardik Pandya didn’t carry invoices for the purchase of watches
It has been estimated that each watch valued in excess of 5 Crore rupees, which is well-over the accepted customs limit. Hardik, however, was unable to produce any receipts when inquired about the purchase. He had also not declared those two watches as custom items, so there was practically nothing to account for such a hefty expenditure. Consequently, Hardik’s watches were confiscated by the customs officials.
It remains to be seen if and when Hardik will be able to repossess his prized acquisitions. For one thing, the younger Pandya sibling sure has a penchant for sporting luxury watches. Earlier this year in August, Hardik uploaded a picture of himself on a fancy Rolls Royce car with a Patek Phillippe Nautilus Platinum 5711 on his wrist. That designer, platinum-forged watch was adorned with 32 baguette-cut emerald jewels. Even back in 2019, HP posted a picture during his back surgery operation wearing yet another Patek Philippe Nautilus watch.
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Hardik Pandya’s fans, meanwhile, would be eagerly preying for their star all-rounder to return to full-fitness and be match fit again. In recent times, Hardik’s ability to bowl has been severely limited, which has had a negative effect on his teams’ overall balance. In fact, the BCCI seems to be running out of patience on Hardik’s fitness, which could be a big reason behind KKR batsman Venkatesh Iyer’s inclusion in the India team for the T20s against New Zealand.