Jet Airways employee suspected of smuggling gold bars on flight from Dubai to Mumbai

Customs officials in Mumbai said they detained a Jet Airways crew member after investigations showed he had attempted to get rid of the gold bars worth Rs2.7 million (Dh150,700) before a search.

DUBAI // A Jet Airways employee is under police investigation for allegedly smuggling gold bars on a flight from Dubai to Mumbai, the airline has said.

Customs officials in Mumbai said they detained a Jet Airways crew member last Thursday after investigations showed he had attempted to get rid of the gold bars worth Rs2.7 million (Dh150,700) before a search.

A Mumbai customs official said a random search was conducted on crew who arrived on the early flight 9W-543 from Dubai last Thursday.

“It was a surprise search and he was actually let go, then one of our staffers found the gold bars stuffed into a sofa on which the crew were sitting and we called them back for questioning,” the official said.

Surveillance footage showed the 24-year-old flight attendant hiding a brown packet before he was searched.

“The matter of September 24 is under investigation and Jet Airways is fully cooperating with the investigating agencies,” a Jet Airways spokesman said.

“Jet Airways has zero tolerance towards any action of its employees that contravenes local or international laws prevalent in the countries of our operations.

Jet Airways has already terminated the employment of those involved in the other cases.”

In March a Jet Airways flight attendant was arrested for smuggling gold and diamonds on a flight from Dubai, Indian media reported

Two employees were arrested in February on arrival in the southern Indian city of Kochi for smuggling gold from Doha.