A female flight attendant from Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) has been placed on judicial remand after being apprehended for smuggling foreign currency at an international airport in Punjab province. The customs officials detained the suspect on Friday after discovering a substantial amount of Saudi riyals concealed in her socks during a body search.
The suspect was presented before a magistrate on Saturday, with customs officials seeking her custody. According to Dawn News, an FIR was filed against her based on a complaint from customs officials. The flight attendant was stopped while boarding Pakistan International Airlines PIA flight PK 203 from Lahore to Dubai.
A video showing the cabin crew member removing the currency notes has gone viral on social media. Raja Bilal Naseem, the customs deputy collector at Allama Iqbal International Airport, reported that 140,000 Saudi Riyals (approximately 10.4 million rupees) were recovered from her possession. He mentioned that customs authorities had received intelligence reports about a potential attempt to smuggle currency on this flight.
The suspect has been charged under Section 139 of The Customs Act, 1969. This section stipulates that any passenger or crew member attempting to smuggle currency, gold, precious metals, or stones by concealing them in baggage to avoid customs will face smuggling charges. A PIA spokesman stated that the flight attendant would be terminated immediately if convicted.