Daijiworld Media Network – Mangalore (SP)

Mangalore, Feb 25: The officials posted at the airport here put in several hours of effort to search for gold presumably hidden in a Jet Airways aircraft that arrived from Dubai on Sunday February 23. They were acting on a tip off that seven kg of gold was concealed in this aircraft.

The officials, relying on the alert, conducted detailed search in the aircraft for the hidden gold. As a result, the aircraft left with delay on its onward journey. The aircraft, which was to take off at 6.30 for Mumbai, could leave only at around 8.30 am.

It is learnt that the officials, who strongly believed that their information was true, ensured that the same aircraft returned to the airport here in the afternoon, although another aircraft normally was operated on this flight. It is said that the officials also had sealed one of the toilets when the aircraft left for Mumbai earlier, as they felt that the gold was hidden somewhere inside the toilet.  In the afternoon, another inspection was conducted, and the return flight was delayed by about 30 minutes, it is gathered.

No one knows where the gold brought from Dubai was hidden. Some expressed doubts about the involvement of security personnel too. It is as yet not known whether gold had actually been dispatched by this flight, or whether it was a mischief played on the airport officials by some trouble mongers. But the fact that officials took so much pain to search for the gold makes it imperative that the information came from reliable sources. No one came forward with a convincing clarification on these aspects, although airport here was abuzz with the news about gold smuggling on that day.