Gold seized in diplomatic baggage addressed to UAE Consulate in India
Ambassador says cargo sent to consulate doesn’t make it theirs
Dubai: A large haul of gold being smuggled into India in diplomatic baggage addressed to the UAE Consulate has been seized at Kerala’s Thiruvananthapuram airport, it was reported in the Indian press on Sunday.
The baggage arrived by air cargo and contained around 30-kg of gold inside a parcel, according to reports in the Indian press. Officials are trying to determine who had sent the parcel and to whom. Indian news agency IANS claim the package was sent from Dubai, it is understood to have been marked to the UAE consulate in Thiruvananthapuram.
It is understood customs officials seized the baggage after a tip-off.
The UAE Consulate discovered that the parcel was addressed to them, but officials refused to comment further on the matter.
UAE Ambassador to India, Dr Ahmad Abdul Rahman Al Banna, later told Gulf News that he had just got to know about the incident.
“We don’t know anything about it. Anyone sending anything to the consulate doesn’t mean that it is ours. It is nonsense [to think like that],” he said.
He said he would be coordinating with local officials in Kerala to get further updates on the investigation.