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Chennai:

A cabin crew member of Air India has been arrested for helping a passenger smuggle 1.7 kg 24-carat gold at the Chennai airport, authorities said today.

The cabin crew member and the passenger were intercepted by the officials when they arrived at Chennai on an Air India Flight from Dubai on Sunday.

The passenger admitted to handing over the gold to the cabin crew member inside the flight, the customs department said in a statement.

“A search resulted in the recovery of gold in compound form, concealed in the undergarments of the cabin crew,” officials said.

Both have been remanded under judicial custody.

Air India is yet to comment on this.

In a separate incident, a Kenyan woman who ingested 90 capsules containing cocaine worth Rs 14.2 crore was arrested by customs officials at the Chennai Airport. The woman was caught after she arrived at the airport from the Ethiopian capital Addis Ababa on December 7.

“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 said.

“These objects tested positive for cocaine, a psychotropic substance covered under the NDPS Act, 1985,” it added.

A total of 1.4 kg of cocaine was recovered from her possession.

The woman has been sent to judicial custody.

Chennai:

A man was arrested for allegedly molesting a female co-passenger aboard a Delhi-Chennai IndiGo Airlines flight.

The accused, identified as 45-year-old Rajesh Sharma, is a marble tile layer by profession. He was apprehended after the flight landed at the Chennai airport on October 9.

The woman was traveling back home after a trip to Jaipur and Delhi. “The accused, who was seated behind her, is alleged to have touched her inappropriately during the flight”, a police officer told NDTV.

After the local police assisted the woman to file a written complaint, investigation is underway. 

Indigo Airlines has not issued an official statement regarding the incident yet.

Smoke started billowing out of the tail of a Dubai-bound Emirates flight at Chennai airport last night. A plume of white smoke was coming out from the engine compartment of a Boeing 777 aircraft while it was stationed on the tarmac. No passengers were aboard the plane when the incident took place.

A video shot on the tarmac shows smoke coming out of the tail due to overfilling before take-off. The area was cleared by the ground staff, but the smoke was blowing toward a plane parked behind the Dubai-bound flight.

“Ground staff alerted pilots, who shut down engines to prevent escalation. And fire engines rushed to the site to prevent any untoward situation. The situation was brought under control. In between, all passengers were deplaned for a safety inspection,” A Chennai airport official.

Around 300 passengers were expected to travel in the aircraft but the incident happened before boarding took place. Fire engines were present at the spot to control the fire. The flight was scheduled to take off at 10 pm but the incident delayed it by over two hours and the aircraft took off at 12:30 am.

Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), India’s aviation watchdog, has ordered an enquiry. Meanwhile, Emirates apologized for the inconvenience caused to passengers and said, “Following an engineering inspection, the aircraft was cleared to proceed to Dubai. Emirates apologizes for the inconvenience caused. The safety of our passengers and crew is of the utmost importance.”

Chennai:

Over 2,000 grams of cocaine worth Rs 21 crore was seized from an air passenger who arrived in Chennai from Ghana, the Customs department said on Friday.

The woman hailing from the West African country, who arrived on June 26, was intercepted by the intelligence officers at the international airport in Chennai. 

During interrogation, she was found to be in possession of the narcotics in powder form concealed in her bags and footwear, an official release from the Chennai International Airport, Principal Commissioner of Customs, R Srinivasa Naik said.

In total, cocaine weighing 2,095 grams worth Rs 21 crore was recovered from the woman under relevant sections of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act, 1985.

She has been arrested and is currently lodged in Central Prison, Puzhal. 

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

Chennai:

Nearly 12 kilograms of gold worth Rs 7.58 crore was recovered at the Chennai airport and 10 air passengers were arrested in this connection, the Customs department said on Tuesday.

Acting on specific information from the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI), Customs officials intercepted 10 passengers who arrived from Dubai and Abu Dhabi on July 24.

Initial examination of the passengers revealed that they were in possession of gold biscuits in their baggage and also in paste form concealed in their under garments, an official release from the Principal Commissioner of Customs R Srinivasa Naik said.

The 10 passengers were arrested and the precious metal worth Rs 7.58 crore was retrieved from them under the relevant sections of the Customs Act, 1962, the release added.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)