Saudi Arabia to India, 5 Hours 30 Minutes Flight
1kg of Gold Hidden Inside Workplace Detected
A flight attendant, who found it strange that a passenger refused not only in-flight meals but even water during a long flight, reported it to the captain, leading to the discovery of gold smuggling.
According to recent reports from the Times of India and Hindustan Times, a flight attendant on Air India flight 992, departing from Jeddah, a city in western Saudi Arabia, and heading to Delhi, India, noticed a suspicious male passenger.
The passenger declined all food, snacks, drinks, and water provided during the 5 hour and 30 minute flight. He also minimized his movements.
The flight attendant informed the captain of the passenger’s behavior, and the captain reported it to air traffic control. After the plane landed at its destination, security officers took the passenger for questioning. The passenger eventually confessed to being a gold smuggler.
It was revealed that the passenger had concealed gold inside four oval-shaped capsules, which he had hidden inside his rectum. The amount of gold he smuggled exceeded 1 kg, valued locally at 6.9 million rupees (approximately 115 million Korean won).
The police and customs officials, who arrested the man and are investigating his accomplices, expressed their gratitude for the quick thinking and prompt response of the flight attendants and airline staff.
Meanwhile, in another case, foreign flight attendants in their 20s of Vietnamese nationality were arrested for smuggling liquid marijuana concealed in about 50 cosmetic containers measuring approximately 15 cm. It was revealed that they received between 69,000 and 150,000 Korean won per trip for transporting drugs from Vietnam to Korea.
The flight attendants denied the charges, claiming they did not know the contents of the cosmetic containers were drugs. Police have booked a person identified as A, who was to distribute the drugs domestically, without detention and seized the drugs. Police have also requested Interpol to issue a red notice for another flight attendant who returned to Vietnam, suspecting that person of drug trafficking.
Local customs authorities have advised in-flight crew to carefully monitor passengers who refuse all food and beverages during long flights, as they may be smuggling gold hidden inside their bodies.
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