Imported cigarettes seized in bulk from flyers at Bengaluru airport

BENGALURU: Three male passengers from Dubai, who had smuggled in 29,940 imported cigarette sticks in their check-in baggage, were caught at the Kempegowda International Airport by the Air Intelligence Unit of Airport Customs on Saturday afternoon. The trio were natives of Kasargod in Kerala and had reached Bengaluru from Dubai by FlyDubai flight (FZ-4007).

"The checks were carried out by us around 1 pm based on regular passenger profiling and behaviour," said a senior Customs official.

"Scanning of baggage revealed that one flyer had brought 7,400 cigarette sticks, another 9,140 sticks and the third passenger had 13,400 sticks. None of the boxes had pictorial warnings on the cover which is mandatory. They were not concealed within clothes or other products but were kept inside quite openly," the official said.

Under Customs regulations, one passenger can bring only a maximum of 100 cigarette sticks. "All cigarette boxes need to have pictorial warnings on them. But  none of these packets had them," he added.

They also had many boxes of perfumes, beauty soaps and creams. A passenger is allowed to carry such items only in minor quantities but the combined value of these in the baggage of the three passengers was above Rs 6.44 lakh and totally weighed over 50kg. This violates baggage rules," the official said.

Giving a break-up the official said the passengers totally had 347 Faiza beauty creams, 17 Sultan perfume boxes, 61 Sadha Perfume boxes, 39 boxes of Silka Beauty Soap and 10 boxes of Chelsea perfume among other items.

Cases were booked against them the quantity was not too high to warrant an arrest, he added.