At Chennai Airport, an Air India cabin crew member was arrested for helping a passenger smuggle 1.7 kg of gold. The incident occurred when the flight from Dubai landed on Sunday. Customs officials intercepted the passenger and the crew member after the passenger admitted to handing over the gold during the flight. Upon searching the crew member, officials found the gold concealed in the undergarments, leading to both individuals being taken into judicial custody.
In a separate case, customs officers at Chennai Airport arrested a Kenyan woman for attempting to smuggle cocaine. She had ingested 90 capsules filled with cocaine, worth ₹14.2 crore, before arriving from Addis Ababa on Ethiopian Airlines on December 7. The woman was caught after the Air Intelligence Unit intercepted her, and with medical assistance, she ejected the capsules. Tests confirmed that the capsules contained cocaine, and she was arrested under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act.
Both the Air India crew member and the Kenyan woman have been remanded to judicial custody following their arrests. These incidents highlight ongoing efforts by Indian authorities to crack down on smuggling at airports. The arrests also underscore the challenges faced by customs officials in preventing illegal substances and contraband from entering the country through major transportation hubs.