PIA Flight Attendant Held for Attempting to Smuggle Currency Concealed in Socks

[Abbas Ali]

A woman in plain-clothes recovering currency notes concealed in socks worn by a PIA flight attendant.

A PIA flight attendant has been detained at Lahore Airport for attempting to smuggle currency notes concealed in socks worn by her. The video shows 500 Saudi Riyal currency notes recovered from the flight attendant.


A plain-clothes man counting 500 Saudi Riyal currency notes recovered from PIA flight attendant.

Abbas

[Karachi Aviator]

I don't understand why a guy in plain clothes is handling this much cash, where are the officials. I've seen similar things at Karachi airport too, random guys in civilian clothes acting like they are Anti Narcotics officers or FIA agents, asking questions to passengers.

[London Flyer]

500 Saudi is only 133USD. Don’t you typically not need to declare under 10,000USD? Did this flight attendance just get robbed on national television lol?

[Abbas Ali]

According to C42 news report:

The flight attendant was going to perform duty as crew member of PIA Lahore to Jeddah flight.

Currency recovered from the flight attendant includes:

140,000 Saudi Riyals cash which is more than 37,000 US Dollars in today's currency exchange rate.



Abbas

[b78709]

500 Saudi is only 133USD. Don’t you typically not need to declare under 10,000USD? Did this flight attendance just get robbed on national television lol?

It should be read as a bunch of currency notes valuing SR500 each. Not a helpful incident while Canadian inspections are under way.

[London Flyer]

Thanks - that makes a lot more sense. I misread it.

I suppose they did apprehend her so shows security is working to
some extent.

[arshad.altaf]

RAWALPINDI: A Paki­stan International Airlines (PIA) flight attendant caught smuggling foreign currency at Allama Iqbal Inter­national Airport, Lahore, has been sent on judicial remand.

Customs officials produced the suspect before a magistrate on Saturday and sought her custody.

According to Customs authorities, the air hostess was detained on Friday after a large amount of Saudi riyals were found in her socks during a body search. A video of the cabin crew member taking out the currency notes has also gone viral on social media.

Later, an FIR was registered against the air hostess, who was only referred to by her initials A.Q. According to the complaint, the suspect, a resident of Vehari, was boarding PIA’s flight PK 203 from Lahore to Dubai when Customs officials stopped her at the airport.

Raja Bilal Naseem, the Customs deputy collector at Allama Iqbal International Airport, told Dawn that 140,000 Saudi Riyals (around 10.4 million rupees) were recovered from her possession during the search.

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.

A PIA spokesman has said that the air hostess would be terminated immediately if found guilty after the trial.

Published in Dawn, July 29th, 2024

https://www.dawn.com/news/1848669/pia-c ... i-currency

[Abbas Ali]

PIA flight attendant sent to jail on judicial remand by Customs Court in Lahore. Court hearing rejected physical remand extension of the accused sought by authorities for further investigation.

Abbas

[b78709]

PIA flight attendant sent to jail on judicial remand by Customs Court in Lahore. Court hearing rejected physical remand extension of the accused sought by authorities for further investigation.

Abbas

Who is her protege? AZ was for Ayan Ali. Is it him again ?

[Abbas Ali]

Flight attendant released on bail, according to news reports. The flight attendant with 20 years of service with the airline has no previous criminal record, her lawyer informed the court.

Abbas

[Abbas Ali]

Air hostess granted bail

LAHORE: A special judge (customs, taxation and anti-smuggling) has granted post-arrest bail to PIA air hostess Aasia Qurban in a case of smuggling foreign currency.

Issuing a written order on the bail petition, Special Judge Yasin Shaheen observed that the petitioner/suspect is well nominated in the FIR, but no more required for investigation.

The judge noted that the maximum punishment provided for the offences charged against the petitioner extends to five years, which does not fall within the ambit of the prohibitory clause.

He said the suspect despite a service of 20 years in PIA has no previous criminal record to her credit. He also refers to a 2016 judgment of the LHC in model Ayan Ali case, which ruled that the suspect being a woman and having no previous criminal record deserves leniency.

“Therefore, in the case in hand, this court feels no hesitation to extend the same leniency in favour of the petitioner,” he declared in the order. He allowed bail to the air hostess subject to furnishing surety bonds of PKR 500,000.

https://www.dawn.com/news/1855316/air-h ... anted-bail