New Delhi: Customs authorities at the Delhi airport Wednesday detained a former staffer of Congress MP Shashi Tharoor for allegedly trying to smuggle in a gold chain worth Rs 35 lakh.
The former “personal assistant”, Shiva Kumar Prasad, entered the aerodrome with an entry pass given to a parliamentarian’s staff and received the 500-gram chain from one Dharmender who flew in from Bangkok on Thai Airways.
The Commissioner of Customs said in a statement Thursday that the passenger from Bangkok was booked on suspicion and further investigation revealed “the involvement of another individual who had come to the airport to receive the passenger and also assist in smuggling”.
The authorities said this individual was intercepted and a heavy gold chain weighing 500 gms was recovered from him. This was handed to him by the passenger inside the arrival hall, they said.
Customs is also probing how Prasad had an aerodrome entry permit. “The circumstances of acquisition of Aerodrome Entry Permit by the receiver, as a part of the protocol team for a member of parliament, are being looked into,” the statement read.
The duo were booked for smuggling and the gold chain was seized under Section 110 of the Customs Act, 1962.
Reacting to the development, Shashi Tharoor took to X to confirm that the accused worked part-time for him and was part of his airport assistance team. He further said 72-year-old Prasad was retained on compassionate grounds.
The Thiruvananthapuram MP assured authorities of his full cooperation, adding he did not condone any alleged wrongdoing. “The law must take its own course,” he posted on X.
(Edited by Tikli Basu)
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