Custom officials arrest Air India crew member for smuggling gold worth Rs 1 crore
The custom officials intercepted both cabin crew and the passenger as soon as the flight landed in Chennai from Dubai on Sunday.
A cabin crew member of Air India was arrested by Customs officials on Sunday at Chennai airport for smuggling 1.7 kn of gold worth Rs 1 crore. Along with the crew member, a passanger was also apprehended on the charges of smuggling.
The custom officials intercepted both cabin crew and the passenger as soon as the flight landed in Chennai from Dubai on Sunday. According to the custom department, the passenger acceded to passing on the gold to the crew member inside the flight which weighed 1.7 kg and was worth more than 1 crore.
"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 receiver outside the airport," said customs official.
"Based on specific intelligence, a Kenyan female passenger who arrived in Chennai from Addis Ababa by Ethiopian Airlines on December 7 was intercepted by the Air Intelligence Unit. On search of her person, she egested 90 cylindrical hyperdense objects with medical assistance," the customs department further added.
Both the passenger and cabin crew have been remanded under judicial custody.