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8 officials relieved of duties after 29 gold ‘smugglers’ flee from Lucknow airport
Some of the passengers, including a woman, confessed to concealing gold in their stomach. Subsequently, the DRI transferred the passengers to the customs department on Tuesday
LUCKNOW Eight officers were relieved of their duties after 29 passengers, detained on suspicion of smuggling gold, fled from the custody of customs officials at Lucknow’s Chaudhary Charan Singh Airport on Tuesday.
These officers had been replaced by others, though no official statement was issued by customs authorities, said sources. Attempts to reach out to authorities for a comment did not yield a response. According to reports, airport assistant commissioner AK Singh lodged a case against 29 absconders at the Sarojini Nagar police station on Wednesday.
The incident raised concerns about the effectiveness of security protocols at the airport and prompted calls for a thorough investigation into the circumstances leading to the escape.
After a tip-off from the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence that some passengers were arriving with illegal gold and cigarette sticks worth ₹3.5 crore from the UAE, the suspects were detained at the airport after disembarking from the Sharjah-Lucknow flight on Monday morning.
The DRI detained and questioned 36 passengers. During the frisking, customs officials seized cigarettes worth over ₹3 crore and cash worth ₹23.90 lakh.
Some of the passengers, including a woman, confessed to concealing gold in their stomach. Subsequently, the DRI transferred the passengers to the customs department on Tuesday.
When officials interrogated the passengers, one of them pretended to be ill and created chaos. Taking advantage of the situation, 29 passengers fled.
