Bengal: Gold recovery in aircraft toilet raises security concerns

Kolkata, June 16 (IANS) Intelligence agencies in the country are concerned over the recovery of gold from a speaker box inside a toilet of an IndiGo aircraft after it landed at the Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport from Dubai.

Officials are trying to find out who placed the gold there and where it was placed.

A senior official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said: “What if it had been a gun to be collected by a hijacker mid-way? This incident brings back memories of the IC-814 hijack in 1999. We are still not absolutely clear how the hijackers got access to the weapons. While one theory is that they walked through the lax security at the Tribhuvan airport in Kathmandu with the weapons, it is also possible that someone smuggled them into the aircraft before passengers boarded.”

He noted that an insider was clearly involved. While passengers are allowed to depart Dubai with gold, there is no reason for a passenger to place it inside the aircraft’s speaker box before landing in India, unless they are certain it will be retrieved later.

“A passenger would not have access to the aircraft after deboarding. Hence, the gold would have to be retrieved by someone else with access. In between flights, the cleaning crew and maintenance staff have access. It seems one of them was supposed to remove the gold biscuits,” the official said.

Some officials strongly believe no passenger was involved. The gold was likely placed inside the toilet before boarding at Dubai and was to be collected at Ahmedabad airport after the aircraft was empty. This is where the theory of a gun being smuggled in a similar manner comes in.

Authorities are now examining who all boarded the aircraft before the passengers at Dubai. “This was an eye-opener, and there will have to be more vigilance along all routes,” the official added.

–IANS

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