When one is flying in an airplane, usually one of the perks is the refreshments offered there. Often, meals will be offered, especially if it is a slightly longer duration flight, and even if it is a short flight, some refreshments are offered, like drinks and some packed snacks like peanuts, corn and such.
However, it is very intriguing to hear that an Air India passenger’s refusal to eat or drink anything during the flight led to them getting arrested.
The passenger not drinking or eating anything during the entire flight had the cabin crew getting suspicious and eventually, events unfolded where the passenger got arrested. But why did the incident see such an intense turn?
What Happened With Air India?
The incident happened on Air India’s flight AI 992 flying from from Jeddah to Delhi and during the entire five-and-a-half-hour flight, one passenger was seen to be refusing all refreshments offered. The cabin crew noticed this while carrying out their services and even offered him water, tea, and food, multiple times all to be met with a refusal from the passenger.
According to a report by New18, this led to raised red flags for the cabin crew, who eventually alerted the flight captain. The captain then alerted the air traffic control who in turn raised the concern to the security agencies.
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Once the plane landed, the Customs Preventive team started to monitor the passenger, and he was stopped for questioning after he tried to pass through the Green Customs Clearance Channel. During his interrogation, the man confessed that he had gold paste valued at over Rs. 69 lakh concealed in his rectum.
Joint Commissioner (Customs) Monika Yadav spoke on this incident, and revealed how much gold there was and its apparent value saying “Approximately 1096.76 grams of gold were recovered from the passenger,” adding “He was arrested under the Customs Act after admitting to smuggling gold from Jeddah.”
This is not the first instance of gold being smuggled in India, since not too long ago a YouTuber named Mohammed Sabir Ali was arrested for assisting in the smuggling of 267 kg of gold valued at almost Rs. 167 crore in two months. His souvenir shop at the Chennai airport was revealed as the base for a Sri Lankan gold smuggling syndicate.
With the occurrence of these incidents, authorities have started an investigation into this, and cabin crew has also been instructed to be more observant of the passengers, especially if they refuse to eat or drink on long flights.
However, perhaps it should be made clear that there is nothing illegal about not eating or drinking on a flight. Passengers could have several perfectly innocent reasons for doing so, such as fasts, dietary restrictions and more, due to which they might refrain from having food or drinks.
A closer look at passengers refraining from consuming food or beverages during flights is just a precautionary measure taken by the flight crew since it is one of the indicators of smuggling attempts.
Image Credits: Google Images
Feature image designed by Saudamini Seth
Sources: Hindustan Times, The Economic Times, Moneycontrol
Find the blogger: @chirali_08
This post is tagged under: Air India, Air India passenger, Air India gold smuggling, gold smuggling, delhi airport, gold, smuggle, youtuber, air india cabin crew, delhi customs, india customs, Delhi Indira Gandhi International airport, gold smuggling in india
Disclaimer: We do not hold any right, or copyright over any of the images used, these have been taken from Google. In case of credits or removal, the owner may kindly mail us.
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