25/06/2017
PUNE: Ever seen
those cameras with thin tubes that the US Special Forces used to locate
flight hijackers in the 1996 thriller 'Executive Decision'? Customs officials
in Pune have recently acquired something similar. The officials will use these
kits - Videoscopes - to search for gold or other illegal items that passengers
tend to hide in international flights.
Sources in the customs department told pune-news.com that earlier this month, they acquired two such kits,
costing Rs 17 lakh each.
"We check international flights and some passengers
coming to Pune. There have been a few times when gold or other banned
substances have been recovered, both from passengers as well as flights. There
are many spots in an aircraft that are inaccessible and cannot be properly
checked. It may be a little opening somewhere in the aircraft or a small hole,
etc. With the help of videoscopes, one can easily check these areas and things
inside become clear and visible," an official said, adding that he could
not comment on whether more such kits would be procured.
There have been many instances in the past when the Pune
airport custom authorities recovered gold from international flights. On
November 6 last year, customs officials seized 1kg of gold bars that had been
hidden under the seat of a Dubai to Pune flight. Earlier on October 26,
officials had recovered gold bars worth Rs 2.8 crore from the rear toilet of an
aircraft that had also arrived from Dubai.
Within two weeks in October 2016 and November 2016, officials
seized gold weighing a total of 10.1kg, worth Rs 3.11 crore. At that time, the
customs officials had said that they were planning to check the profile of the
airline crew, including the ground staff and pilots. Officials have said that
from October 2015 to October 2016, gold bars worth Rs 4.12 crore have been
seized from aircraft in Pune.
"With these kits, we have an edge. The customs checks
almost all international flights landing in Pune. Furthermore, by this year
end, we are trying to ensure that all the equipment present with us – metal detectors,
door frame metal detectors, luggage scanners - are upgraded so that we are
abreast and have the latest kits with us," the official said.
At present, a total of four international flights operate from
the Pune airport. They include two to Dubai (Air India and SpiceJet), one to
Abu Dhabi (Jet Airways) and one to Frankfurt (Lufthansa). More flights to
Middle Eastern destinations are set to start soon, sources said.
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