An Akasa Airlines flight coming from Mumbai made an emergency landing in Varanasi on Friday evening. There was panic after receiving information that there was a bomb in the plane. By the time the information was received on Twitter, the flight had reached the airspace of Varanasi. The information about the presence of a bomb in the flight reached the officials and the crew member of the plane. After this the pilot informed ATC. After this, the passengers were deboarded from the plane and the cabin was searched for about an hour. But, no explosive material was found. The information turned out to be fake. After this incident, the security of all flights has been increased.
Information about placing a bomb in the plane was received through an unknown tweet.
Airport Director Puneet Gupta said that on the afternoon of September 29, the Akasa Airlines plane took off from Mumbai for Varanasi. At around 4 o’clock, Akasa Air flight (number-QP 1498) received an emergency alert from air traffic control. In this, a message was received through an unknown tweet about placing and detonating a bomb in the plane. After this both the captains of the plane talked to ATC. Following the emergency procedure, the plane landed safely on the separate runway. As soon as the plane landed, the passengers were taken out of the plane. After this CISF and bomb disposal squad team entered the plane. A thorough search was conducted inside.
During the search that lasted for about an hour, no explosive material was found inside the plane. After investigation the officials heaved a sigh of relief. With a delay of two hours, the Akasa Airlines flight carrying 80 passengers left for Mumbai at 4.56. Varanasi Airport Director further said that through a tweet, a threat was given to bomb Mumbai to Varanasi flight number QP 1498. Information about a bomb in the plane was received when the flight was about to land at Varanasi airport. During the search operation this information turned out to be false. All 84 passengers and crew are safe and have been deplaned.
Gold worth Rs 10 crore recovered at Varanasi airport in 2 years
Smugglers from foreign countries have made Varanasi flights a soft target for smuggling gold into India. Seizure of gold has become common in the weekly flight from Sharjah to Varanasi. After the operation of international flights after the Corona period, gold worth more than ten crores has been recovered at Varanasi Airport. The gold was brought to Varanasi Airport for smuggling from Sharjah, and police has caught more than 30 workers bringing it. On Thursday night, a passenger from Bihar had hidden gold capsules by making a paste in his rectum, which was caught on the scanner. After the recovery of gold worth Rs 50 lakh, the customs confiscated the gold and released it on bond.
According to customs officials, Air India flight IX-184 from Sharjah landed at Lal Bahadur Shastri International Airport on Thursday evening. During the investigation, the team became suspicious of a passenger and investigated him thoroughly. Red light lit up in the scanner during the search of Bihar resident Ashwani Kumar. When looked in the scanner, plastic capsules were seen from his rectum. After this they started interrogating him. At first he was reluctant. But later he admitted to taking the gold.
He told that he had made gold paste and hidden it in 3 capsules in his private part. After this doctors were called. After this the doctors gave him medicines and then injected him with enema. This created pressure and all three capsules could be taken out during defecation. The weight of gold is 839.29 grams. A passenger was caught with gold worth Rs 50 lakh at Varanasi airport on Thursday. The price of gold is said to be around Rs 50 lakh. After interrogation, the customs officials confiscated the gold and released it on personal bond.
Big network of gold smuggling in Varanasi
A big smuggling network is active at Varanasi Airport. This is the fifth time so far this year that smuggled gold has been caught. Earlier, on June 1, 2023, 16 gold biscuits were recovered from the airport toilet. Its weight was 1886.100 grams and price was 1.12 crores. It could not be found out who had brought the gold. Earlier on February 27, 2176.800 grams of gold worth Rs 1.22 crore was recovered from the private part of Ram Chander, a resident of Faizabad, who had come from Sharjah. In August, two youths were arrested with gold worth Rs 1.40 crore and on September 28, Ashwani, a resident of Bihar, was caught with gold worth Rs 50 lakh.
Gold worth Rs 8 crore recovered in 2 years
After the Corona period, gold smuggling is continuing in Banaras by adopting new methods. Gold worth Rs 23 lakh 94 thousand on 17 February 2022, 45 lakh on 20 February, 33 lakh on 22 February, 48 lakh on 25 April, 18 lakh on 2 July, 1.21 crore on 11 July, 28 lakh on 27 July, 31 August 34 lakh 46 thousand, on 3 December 2022, gold worth 40 lakh was caught by the Customs Department. Gold worth Rs 1.22 crore was recovered on 28 February 2023, and gold worth Rs 1.12 crore was recovered on 31 May. Apart from this, gold worth Rs 50 lakh was recovered on 20 June and gold worth Rs 1.40 crore on 22 August. After this, gold worth Rs 50 lakh was recovered on 28 September.
Gold worth two crores seized in 2021
Whereas in the year 2021, 697 grams of gold worth Rs 34 lakh was seized. Passenger Suraj Kumar Patel, a resident of Malathua in Prayagraj, who had come by Air India flight from Sharjah, had hidden it in the belt of his jeans in the form of a paste. Before this, gold worth Rs 33 lakh was recovered from a passenger. Two smugglers were caught with one and a half kilos of gold after making a layer inside the umbrella. Customs caught smuggling of 700 grams of gold in mixer grinder from Sharjah, whose value was estimated at Rs 32,89,530 lakh. In December, the Custom Department team recovered gold worth Rs 67.21 lakh. Apart from this, many recoveries were also made.
Smuggling only in international flights in Banaras
After reduction in the number of international flights at Babatpur Airport, fewer cases of smuggling have been reported. In the last two years, currently there are flights abroad only for Sharjah. Airlines to Bangkok, Malaysia and Colombo are closed. When air services operated to Bangkok and Malaysia, gold smuggling was also done from these two places. Till date no documents related to gold have been found with any person caught at Varanasi Airport.
Smugglers were not caught in 2 years, 25 workers were caught
Gold worth about Rs 7 crore was seized from Babatpur Airport in Varanasi in the last two years. Among the carriers caught in this were 25 laborers who had gone to Gulf countries in search of work. Missed work, then struggled even to eat. Wanting to return home under any circumstances, they became a means of smugglers. The Customs Department did not catch any big smuggler. Customs sent many smugglers to jail while some were released on bond.
Supply through code word outside the airport
During interrogation, the Customs Excise team found out that smugglers use code words to transport and receive gold. While giving gold to the labourers, they tell the code. The name of the designated place outside the airport is also mentioned. The person standing there is asked to contact them through a code word. Or he is asked to hand over the gold after verification by matching the number of any note with similar symbols. During the investigation, they appear to be in a hurry and as soon as there is suspicion, Customs arrests them.
Mixer grinder weight checked on google
Everyone tries different methods to smuggle gold. Recently, two youths had landed at Varanasi airport carrying gold in a mixer grinder. Custom officials said that the mixer grinder was weighed after being found. After that, when the weight of the bean grinder was checked on Google, it was decreasing, this is how the matter came to light. When it was cut inside with a cutter, gold worth Rs 1.40 crore was found in the grinder and pasta machine. Due to gold worth more than Rs 20 lakh, a case has been registered under the Customs Act, presented in the court and sent to jail.