New Delhi: As the results of the 2019 general elections started pouring in on the morning of 23 May, Naresh Goyal, the former chairman of Jet Airways, began preparations to leave India. Sources said that the air tickets for Goyal and his wife in the Dubai-bound Emirates flight EK-507, for 25 May, were booked in advance. The 3-hour 15-minute long flight would have taken the couple to Dubai from where their plan was to fly to London.
After checking into Mumbai airport, which boasts of a state of the art system that allows officials to track the entry and exit of passengers, Goyal and his wife were able to complete the immigration formalities, spend time at the airport lounge, interact with those who recognised them, and then calmly board the flight.
Thus, despite a Look Out Circular (LOC) issued against him and the SFIO (Serious Fraud Investigation Office) and ED (Enforcement Directorate) probing him, Goyal was able to enter the aircraft, get into his seat, and bear witness to the aircraft being taken to the runway before it was called back just a couple of minutes before take-off.
The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) still does not have any official explanation on how Goyal managed to dodge the LOC and more importantly how, all of a sudden, the Bureau of Immigration realised that there was an LOC against him, which prompted it to call back the aircraft and de-board Goyal.
In fact official sources believe that a well thought out plan had been hatched to help Goyal flee India, the way Vijay Mallya and Nirav Modi did. A plan that could not have been possible without the involvement of top officials of the Bureau of Immigration, who would have given instructions to the ground staff in Mumbai to let Goyal complete all formalities and board the aircraft despite an LOC issued against him.
“It is not easy to dodge an LOC, nowadays with real time information and notices being accessible to the airport ground staff every minute. The very fact that Goyal was able to complete all the formalities—both security check and immigration process—and spend a considerable time in the airport without being stopped, shows that he was being helped by top officials of Bureau of Immigration on 25 May”, a senior MHA source said.
03/08/19 Abhinandan Mishra/Sunday Guardian Live
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After checking into Mumbai airport, which boasts of a state of the art system that allows officials to track the entry and exit of passengers, Goyal and his wife were able to complete the immigration formalities, spend time at the airport lounge, interact with those who recognised them, and then calmly board the flight.
Thus, despite a Look Out Circular (LOC) issued against him and the SFIO (Serious Fraud Investigation Office) and ED (Enforcement Directorate) probing him, Goyal was able to enter the aircraft, get into his seat, and bear witness to the aircraft being taken to the runway before it was called back just a couple of minutes before take-off.
The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) still does not have any official explanation on how Goyal managed to dodge the LOC and more importantly how, all of a sudden, the Bureau of Immigration realised that there was an LOC against him, which prompted it to call back the aircraft and de-board Goyal.
In fact official sources believe that a well thought out plan had been hatched to help Goyal flee India, the way Vijay Mallya and Nirav Modi did. A plan that could not have been possible without the involvement of top officials of the Bureau of Immigration, who would have given instructions to the ground staff in Mumbai to let Goyal complete all formalities and board the aircraft despite an LOC issued against him.
“It is not easy to dodge an LOC, nowadays with real time information and notices being accessible to the airport ground staff every minute. The very fact that Goyal was able to complete all the formalities—both security check and immigration process—and spend a considerable time in the airport without being stopped, shows that he was being helped by top officials of Bureau of Immigration on 25 May”, a senior MHA source said.
03/08/19 Abhinandan Mishra/Sunday Guardian Live
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