Air India flight attendant detained at Chennai airport for smuggling 1.7 Kg of gold

Air India flight attendant detained at Chennai airport for smuggling 1.7 Kg of gold

Air India flight attendant detained at Chennai airport for smuggling 1.7 Kg of gold

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A member of the Air India cabin crew  apprehended for assisting a passenger in smuggling 1.7 kg of 24-carat gold at Chennai airport.

An Air India cabin crew member was apprehended at Chennai Airport for smuggling 1.7 kg of gold. The crew member and a passenger were stopped by authorities upon their arrival at Chennai on an Air India flight from Dubai on Sunday.

The customs department stated that the passenger confessed to giving the gold to a member of the cabin crew during the flight.

Both individuals have been placed in judicial custody. Air India has not yet provided a statement on this matter.

Customs officials declined to disclose the identities of the crew member and the passenger, who was also taken into custody.

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The air intelligence division of Customs apprehended a cabin crew member upon the arrival of a flight from Dubai early Sunday morning. The individual was discovered concealing gold in paste form on his body. This operation was initiated following a tip-off received by the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI).

During questioning, the detained crew member revealed that a passenger on the same flight had given him the gold, which weighed 1.7 kg and had an estimated value exceeding 1 crore. The passenger was also taken into custody.

“The modus operandi is that the passenger will hand over the gold to the crew member on the flight, and the latter is supposed to deliver it to a receiver outside the airport,” says customs official.

Following the recent enforcement actions against airport ground personnel involved with smuggling operations, investigators have indicated that cabin crew members are now being enticed to maintain the continuity of the business. While one cabin crew member asserted that this was his initial involvement, investigators believe that only a more thorough inquiry will uncover the actual circumstances.

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