Pakistan International Airlines cabin crew remanded for 'smuggling' Saudi currency

A PIA flight attendant was placed under judicial remand after she was caught smuggling Saudi currency at Lahore’s International Airport.

A female Paki­stan International Airlines (PIA) flight attendant, who was caught smuggling foreign currency at the Allama Iqbal International Airport in Lahore, Punjab province, has been sent on judicial remand.

Customs officials, who produced the suspect before a magistrate on July 27, sought her custody after she was detained on July 25 following the recovery of a large amount of Saudi Riyals in her socks during a body search, Dawn News reported on July 29.

A video of the cabin crew member taking out the currency notes has also gone viral on social media.

An FIR was registered against the flight attendant based on the complaint of Customs officials, who stopped the suspect while boarding PIA’s flight PK 203 from Lahore to Dubai.

“140,000 Saudi Riyals (around ₹10.4 million) were recovered from her possession during the search,” Raja Bilal Naseem, the Customs deputy collector at the International Airport, said.

He said customs authorities had intelligence reports of a possible attempt to smuggle currency through this flight.

The suspect has been booked under Section 139 of The Customs Act, 1969, which states that any passenger or crew member attempting to take out currency, gold, precious metals or stones by concealing them in baggage to avoid Customs will be charged with offences of smuggling.