LAHORE : A Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) flight attendant caught smuggling foreign currency at Allama Iqbal International Airport, Lahore, has been sent on judicial remand. Customs officials produced the suspect before a magistrate on Saturday and sought her custody.
According to Customs authorities, the air hostess was detained on Friday after a large amount of Saudi riyals and US dollars were found in her socks during a body search. A video of the cabin crew member taking out the currency notes has also gone viral on social media.
Later, an FIR was registered against the air hostess, who was only referred to by her initials A.Q. According to the complaint, the suspect, a resident of Vehari, was boarding PIA’s flight PK 203 from Lahore to Dubai when Customs officials stopped her at the airport.
Raja Bilal Naseem, the Customs deputy collector at Allama Iqbal International Airport, told Dawn that 140,000 Saudi Riyals (around 10.4 million rupees) were recovered from her possession during the search.
He said Customs authorities had intelligence reports of a possible attempt to smuggle currency through this flight.
The suspect has been booked under Section 139 of The Customs Act, 1969, which states that any passenger or crew member attempting to take out currency, gold, precious metals or stones by concealing them in baggage to avoid Customs will be charged with offences of smuggling.
Customs officials, working in conjunction with Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) immigration, discovered US dollars and Saudi riyals hidden in the air hostess’s socks. The total value of the recovered currency, estimated to be in the millions of Pakistani rupees, was concealed during a PIA flight from Lahore to Jeddah.
Deputy Collector Customs Raja Bilal revealed that $37,318 and 40,000 Saudi riyals were seized from the air hostess. Suspicions arose during the flight, prompting her to be offloaded and searched, leading to the discovery of the hidden currency.
A PIA spokesman has said that the air hostess would be terminated immediately if found guilty after the trial.