New Delhi: Team India Cricketer Hardik Pandya seemed to have landed in trouble after customs officials seized two luxury watches reportedly worth Rs 5 crore from his possession when he was returning from Dubai on Sunday night. As per ANI, the incident took place when Team India players were returning home after the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2021 in the UAE.

After arriving at the airport, the customs officials found Hardik Pandya in possession of two luxury watches worth Rs 5 crores. The cricketer did not have invoices for the watches, nor had he declared these watches as customs items. As a result, the customs officials confiscated his watches.

However, Pandya on Tuesday clarified that he voluntarily went to Mumbai airport customs counter to declare the items brought by him and pay the requisite customs duty. He said the cost of the watch is approximately ₹1.5 crore and not Rs. 5 crore. In a statement on Twitter, he said, “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.”

“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,” he said.

“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.

The cricketer, who believes in living large, often flaunts his extravagant lifestyle on social media. According to Zee News, Hardik owns some of the most expensive watches in the world and his watch collection even includes the Patek Philippe Nautilus Platinum 5711 which costs over Rs 5 crore.

Earlier, Krunal Pandya, elder brother of Hardik was also detained at Mumbai Airport while returning from Dubai over suspicion of possession of undisclosed gold.