Duo held for smuggling 8,000 memory cards at IGI airport

Two persons, including an airport employee, were today arrested at the IGI airport for allegedly smuggling 8,000 memory cards worth over Rs 12 lakh, a senior Customs official said.

Surinder Singh Arora, a resident of Tilak Nagar, arrived here today on a Thai Airways flight (TG 323) from Hong Kong via Bangkok along with 8,020 memory cards, the official said.

Arora deboarded the plane and went to the washroom of the aerobridge and handed over the smuggled cards, packed in four packets, to Kamaldeep Singh -- an employee of IT firm IDDS posted at the airport.

"Singh concealed the packets in stocking and was to hand over the goods to Arora at the domestic arrival, as there is a way to reach the domestic arrival without crossing the emigration and Customs offices," the official said.

Singh was arrested from the washroom, while Arora was arrested when he was crossing the counters. Singh was to get Rs 4,000 for clearing the goods. In December last year, he helped in clearing 4,030 memory cards.

Both have confessed their involvement in smuggling and the goods have been seized under the Customs Act, police said.

Similar cases were recorded in the past where people had tried to smuggle cheap memory cards from Hong Kong.

Airport operator Delhi International Airport Limited said that IDDS was appointed by it directly.

"Customs had requested DIAL to close a door in the Customs area, which was done. At present, only Immigration staff have access rights to this door strictly on the basis of biometric access control cards. Immigration requires this access due to their operational reasons," a DIAL spokesperson said in a statement.