Mystery of missing jewels

Hyderabad: In March this year, city-based Pavan Cargo had booked a parcel with Kingfisher Airlines which was to be delivered to Bangalore.
The parcel contained a costly ruby and some jewellery. The cargo, weighing 3 kg, was instead placed on a Kingfisher flight that left for New Delhi ‘‘by mistake’’.
The parcel was promptly returned to Bangalore. When Pavan Cargo agents collected the parcel, they discovered that the valuables were missing!
A complaint was lodged by Gautam Jalan of Pavan Cargo with the Begumpet police. Raj Jewellers, MG Road, had assigned the delivery of their property to Pavan Cargo.
The jewellery was to reach Navaratan Jewellers in Bangalore. Who meddled with the cargo? Was it the airline staff or some outsider who had access to the parcel? Why was it booked as ‘console cargo’ and not ‘valuable cargo?’ Or, in the first place, did the cargo contain the valuables at all? What about the agents who collected the parcel in Bangalore ?
"The parcel containing the valuables was to have reached Bangalore by 11 am but it reached there only by 11 pm. We are now looking at scientific methods to crack the case.
Some staffers of Kingfisher Airlines and those from the cargo are being subjected to a polygraph test," Begumpet sub-inspector of police Sridhar told this website newspaper.
Surprisingly, the jewellery,especially the ruby, was insured for just Rs 1 lakh though its actual cost is said to be around 9 lakh. Normally, costly articles are sent by ‘valuable cargo’ and the person booking it has to declare the contents of the parcel.
‘Console cargo’ is cheaper but goods that are not costly are usually sent by it. Surprisingly,in this case, Pavan Cargo chose to send it in ‘console cargo’.
"When the cargo reached Delhi, it lay there for nearly six hours as unclaimed cargo. Later, it was brought to Bangalore.
It is not clear whether the valuables went missing before the flight took off from Hyderabad, in Delhi or after reaching Bangalore,"investigators said.
On the other hand, the police do not rule out foul play on the part of Pavan cargo itself. "There is a possibility of the jewellery not being sent at all and the entire thing just being a drama.
20/06/08 Siasat Daily

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Categories: Airports Jun 2008, Cargo Jun 2008, Kingfisher Jun 2008