Kochi: Faced with a steady influx of illegal bullion, the Customs Department is now reaching out to airlines operating out of Kerala to check the trend.
Starting next week, Customs Commissioner Sumit Kumar will hold one-to-one meetings with all the airlines across the three airports in the State. The meeting aims at sensitising the airlines to their role in monitoring the movement of suspected smugglers and making them aware of their responsibilities in case of slip-ups.
“The airline companies will be able to help us as they are responsible for baggage screening in many of these airports. If they are unable to identify banned items inside baggage, how are they going to prevent weapons or explosives getting on board?” Mr. Kumar said.
Despite repeated requests by the Customs wing, only a couple of airlines have come forward to cooperate with the anti-smuggling agency. It is against this backdrop that the department has decided on this initiative.
Further, the meeting will seek to bust the myth that airline employees are harassed in the name of evidence collection during seizures. “They will be given the message that cooperating with the enforcement agencies does not entail harassment. In fact, they will not be even roped in as witnesses during seizures,” the commissioner added.
03/02/18 U. Hiran/The Hindu
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Starting next week, Customs Commissioner Sumit Kumar will hold one-to-one meetings with all the airlines across the three airports in the State. The meeting aims at sensitising the airlines to their role in monitoring the movement of suspected smugglers and making them aware of their responsibilities in case of slip-ups.
“The airline companies will be able to help us as they are responsible for baggage screening in many of these airports. If they are unable to identify banned items inside baggage, how are they going to prevent weapons or explosives getting on board?” Mr. Kumar said.
Despite repeated requests by the Customs wing, only a couple of airlines have come forward to cooperate with the anti-smuggling agency. It is against this backdrop that the department has decided on this initiative.
Further, the meeting will seek to bust the myth that airline employees are harassed in the name of evidence collection during seizures. “They will be given the message that cooperating with the enforcement agencies does not entail harassment. In fact, they will not be even roped in as witnesses during seizures,” the commissioner added.
03/02/18 U. Hiran/The Hindu
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