Chennai cops bust drug-smuggling attempt at airport

May 14, 2010 By Leave a Comment

Chennai, May 14 (ANI): Police in Chennai have busted a drug smuggling attempt after they apprehended an unemployed Indian man trying to smuggle the contraband in an ice-cream vending machine at Chennai airport. He was heading to Malaysia.

The alert Chennai police followed a tip-off that led to his apprehension. They got suspicious after they saw the man heaving a bulky package at the Chennai airport.

Authorities stopped the Malaysia bound man on Wednesday night. During interrogation, he confessed he was carrying narcotics.

It emerged that the package was an ice-cream vending machine in which 14.79 kg of ketamine had been hidden.

“The drug was skillfully concealed in a cavity in the ice cream dispenser which he was carrying, purportedly for sale abroad,” The Star quoted R. Periasamy, Commissioner of Customs (Airport and Air Cargo) as saying.

Customs officials estimated that the contraband, commonly known as a “party drug”, could easily fetch about RM1million in international market.

According to the report, ketamine hydrochloric, often used as animal tranquilliser, is easily available in India and widely trafficked to Southeast Asian cities, where there is a growing demand for the drug, and sold at lucrative prices.

Between 2008 and 2009, around 123kg of ketamine were seized at Chennai airport alone.

Due to stringent checks in the southern city airport and seaport, smugglers are now plying other Indian airports such as Cochin, Hyderabad and Coimbatore, Periasamy said. (ANI)

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Chennai cops bust drug-smuggling attempt at airport

May 14, 2010 By Leave a Comment

Chennai, May 14 (ANI): Police in Chennai have busted a drug smuggling attempt after they apprehended an unemployed Indian man trying to smuggle the contraband in an ice-cream vending machine at Chennai airport. He was heading to Malaysia.

The alert Chennai police followed a tip-off that led to his apprehension. They got suspicious after they saw the man heaving a bulky package at the Chennai airport.

Authorities stopped the Malaysia bound man on Wednesday night. During interrogation, he confessed he was carrying narcotics.

It emerged that the package was an ice-cream vending machine in which 14.79 kg of ketamine had been hidden.

“The drug was skillfully concealed in a cavity in the ice cream dispenser which he was carrying, purportedly for sale abroad,” The Star quoted R. Periasamy, Commissioner of Customs (Airport and Air Cargo) as saying.

Customs officials estimated that the contraband, commonly known as a “party drug”, could easily fetch about RM1million in international market.

According to the report, ketamine hydrochloric, often used as animal tranquilliser, is easily available in India and widely trafficked to Southeast Asian cities, where there is a growing demand for the drug, and sold at lucrative prices.

Between 2008 and 2009, around 123kg of ketamine were seized at Chennai airport alone.

Due to stringent checks in the southern city airport and seaport, smugglers are now plying other Indian airports such as Cochin, Hyderabad and Coimbatore, Periasamy said. (ANI)

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US citizen arrested in Egypt for possessing arms

May 13, 2010 By Leave a Comment

Cairo, May 13 (IANS) A US citizen of Egyptian origin has been arrested at Cairo airport with guns and other weapons in his luggage, officials said.

The man who was coming from New York was arrested Wednesday for possessing arms and ammunition, Xinhua reported quoting state-run MENA news agency.

According to airport authorities, security personnel have found two handguns, 250 bullets, two swords, five daggers and six pocket knives hidden in his luggage.

They said the man, whose name was not disclosed, managed to hoodwink authorities at John F. Kennedy airport and boarded the plane carrying the arms.

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All airports on high alert following Kingfisher flight bomb scare

March 23, 2010 By Leave a Comment

New Delhi, Mar 23 (ANI): Union Civil Aviation Minister Praful Patel on Tuesday said that all airports across the country have been put on high alert following the low-intensity country-made bomb that was found inside a Kingfisher flight IT-4731 from Bangalore to Thiruvananthapuram on Sunday morning.

Addressing the media, Patel said the security was being tightened across all the airports in the country to avoid any untoward incident.

“The government has taken the Kingfisher bomb case issue seriously and are probing the same,” said Patel.

Patel further said, “Airports are usually and always in a state of high alert. But in view of the recent incident, the Bureau of Civil Aviation has further heightened security across all the airports in the country. Security will not be compromised at all.”

“The bomb scare that occurred on Sunday has been taken seriously. Investigations have been ordered and we consider it as a major breach of security, therefore every possible action to unearth the cause will be undertaken,” he added.

On the government”s stand to implement body scanners in airports, Patel said, “Body scanners will be used on a trial basis at the IGI in July. We will have to ensure that there is no violation of privacy of any passenger.”

“We will have to ensure that there is no violation of privacy of any passenger. There are some concerns raised in this matter, which is being looked into. However, the implementation of the same is imperative in view of the heightened security threats we face,” he added.

The Kerala Government has constituted a high-level committee headed by Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP) Jolly Cherian to probe the low-intensity country-made bomb that was found inside a Kingfisher flight.

The plane was on Sunday taken to the remote bay area of the Thiruvananthapuram airport, where the security personnel and the airport authorities assessed the suspicious object found on-board.

All the passengers were deplaned after the cargo cleaner alerted the CISF officials of a suspicious object.
The Bomb Disposal Squad (BDS) was soon rushed to the airport to check the nature of the crude bomb.
The explosive was defused and later taken off the aircraft. (ANI)

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Five Delhi bound passengers ‘missing’ from Karachi airport

March 23, 2010 By Leave a Comment

Karachi, Mar.23 (ANI): Five New Delhi bound passengers have mysteriously gone missing along with their luggage from the Karachi International Airport.

According to Geo News, the five passengers, who were travelling in a Pakistan International Airlines flight number- PK-227 from Dubai to New Delhi, suddenly disappeared when the aircraft landed at Karachi.

Security officials at the Karachi airport launched a search immediately after they received reports regarding the ‘missing’ passengers, who are said to be having Pakistani passports.

The PIA flight was delayed for over two hours due to the incident while airport authorities searched for the missing persons. (ANI)

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Delhi bound passengers ‘missing’ from Karachi airport

March 23, 2010 By Leave a Comment

Karachi, Mar.23 (ANI): Five New Delhi bound passengers have mysteriously gone missing along with their luggage from the Karachi International Airport.

According to Geo News, the five passengers, who were travelling in a Pakistan International Airlines flight number- PK-227 from Dubai to New Delhi, suddenly disappeared when the aircraft landed at Karachi.

Security officials at the Karachi airport launched a search immediately after they received reports regarding the ‘missing’ passengers, who are said to be having Pakistani passports.

The PIA flight was delayed for over two hours due to the incident while airport authorities searched for the missing persons. (ANI)

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Kerala Government orders probe into bomb found inside Kingfisher flight

March 22, 2010 By Leave a Comment

Thiruvananthapuram, Mar 22 (ANI): The Kerala Government has constituted a high-level committee headed by Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP) Jolly Cherian to probe the low-intensity country-made bomb that was found inside a Kingfisher flight IT-4731 from Bangalore to Thiruvananthapuram on Sunday morning.

The state government has asked the security agencies to conduct a thorough investigation and find out how the lapse took place at the airport.

Kerala Law Minister M Vijaykumar said, “It is a serious security lapse. We have directed the security agencies to look into this.”

The plane was on Sunday taken to the remote bay area of the Thiruvananthapuram airport, where the security personnel and the airport authorities assessed the suspicious object found on-board.

All the passengers were deplaned after the cargo cleaner alerted the CISF officials of a suspicious object.

The Bomb Disposal Squad (BDS) was soon rushed to the airport to check the nature of the crude bomb.

The explosive was defused and later taken off the aircraft. (ANI)

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UAE plane flies off after being detained in Kolkata for carrying arms

September 7, 2009 By Leave a Comment

Kolkata, Sep 7 (ANI): A United Arab Emirates Air Force plane was detained at the airport here on Sunday after a large cache of arms and ammunition was discovered. Nine crew members have been detained for questioning.

The plane, bound for Hanyang in China from Abu Dhabi, landed at the Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose International Airport here for refuelling last night.

Airport sources said customs officials found the arms and ammunition inside the plane during a routine check.

The Airports Authority of India (AAI) has been informed.

Late on Sunday night, a meeting was held with the airport authorities, customs officials, senior airforce officers and the UAE crew about the entire matter.

Finally, permission was granted to the plane to resume its flight this morning, sources said. (ANI)

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New computer model may improve airport pandemic influenza screening system

May 20, 2009 By Leave a Comment

Washington, May 20 (ANI): A team of scientists from four national laboratories in the U.S. have created a computer model that can help airport authorities screen passengers for pandemic influenza.

Project leader Robert Brigantic says that the novel tool may prove useful in estimating false negatives, people with influenza who slip through the screening process, and thereby help assess the risk of infected passengers unknowingly spreading disease across the nation.

When there is a confirmed human outbreak of a pandemic influenza virus overseas, authorities the US calls for screening of passengers scheduled to fly into the country at international airports, en route screening and arrival screening at ports-of-entry.

However, the efficacy of screening procedures is not known.

This is the reason why Brigantic and his colleagues-including experts from the Washington-based Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Tennessee-based Oak Ridge National Laboratory, California-based Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, and New Mexico-based Los Alamos National Laboratory-have built a computer model of US airport entry screening that combines epidemiology with knowledge about evolving disease states and conditions of passengers over time.

The researchers have tested their simulation under different pandemic scenarios and carried out an analysis of the impact of alternative mitigative, diagnostic and quarantine measures that can be used.

Their results may help decision makers plan for the resources needed at the port-of-entry airports, anticipate possible developments during a pandemic, and devise appropriate courses of action to prevent the spread of disease through the US.

“The simulation work is easily adaptable to model other types of outbreaks, to include non-influenza virus type outbreaks or disease spread,” says Brigantic.

The researchers say that there are several key factors that could reduce the risk of a pandemic influenza spreading widely in the US.

They say that passengers should be screened, if possible, before they board a plane bound for the US. They also say that passengers presenting symptoms on arrival should be tested for the pandemic influenza virus and potential quarantine.

According to them, the authorities should be aware that passengers might infect each other before and during their flight, and that any screening program is likely to increase delays and queues.

The researchers suggest that advances are now needed in diagnostics for infection to automate and speed up confirmation.

A research paper on their work has been published in the International Journal of Risk Assessment and Management. (ANI)

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Japan tightens health checks on travellers against swine flu

May 3, 2009 By Leave a Comment

Tokyo – Japan began checking temperatures of passengers arriving from Mexico Saturday after a swine influenza outbreak killed more than 60 people in Mexico and infected at least eight in the United States. The Japanese government on Saturday began tightening health checks on travellers entering the country through Narita and Kansai airports directly from Mexico or via the United States.

The Foreign Ministry has issued warnings about the disease and urged travellers heading to the Mexico to reconsider their plans, while the Health Ministry has received numerous enquiries via its telephone counseling services opened Saturday afternoon.

Meanwhile, the Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Ministry instructed animal quarantine offices nationwide to examine any live pigs brought into Japan for signs of infection.

The quarantine office’s thermographic imaging device detected no signs of infection on 177 passengers and crew members who arrived at Narita Saturday morning from Mexico, Jiji Press quoted airport authorities as saying.

In reaction to the situation, Mexico City closed its schools and President Felipe Calderon cancelled a visit to the northern city of Ciudad Juarez. (dpa)

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Japanese airport begins testing for swine flu

May 3, 2009 By Leave a Comment

Tokyo – Japan’s Narita Airport began checking temperatures of passengers arriving mainly from Mexico Saturday after a swine influenza outbreak killed at least 20 people, media reports said.

The quarantine office’s thermographic imaging device detected no signs of infection on 177 passengers and crew members who arrived at Narita Saturday morning from Mexico, Jiji Press quoted airport authorities as saying.

The office was to offer telephone counseling services later in the day, and the government has set up a liaison office to gather information on the outbreak at the crisis management centre of the prime minister’s office.

Meanwhile, the Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Ministry instructed animal quarantine offices nationwide to examine any live pigs brought into Japan for signs of virus infection.

There has been no outbreak of swine flu in Japan, the ministry said.

Mexican authorities confirmed Friday the deaths of 20 people due to swine influenza over the past three weeks, while a further 48 deaths were suspected from the disease.

The situation is so dire that Mexico City closed its schools and President Felipe Calderon cancelled a visit to the northern city of Ciudad Juarez. (dpa)

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Ronaldo asked to fork out 20,000 pounds for tunnel repairs

February 20, 2009 By Leave a Comment

London, Feb. 19 (ANI): After smashing his 200,000 pound worth Ferrari in a tunnel, Cristiano Ronaldo is facing another 20,000 pound bill for damaging tunnel property.

The Manchester United winger who has already lost his pricey car when it hit both walls of the tunnel, has now been asked by the airport authorities to pay for repairs to the damaged brickwork, buckled railings and for a smashed exit door of the tunnel, The Mirror reports.

“It’s a real double whammy for Ronaldo. He has already lost a 200,000-pound car and this is another cost to factor in. Even though he earns a fortune, the accident has proved to be very expensive indeed – especially as he’d only been out in the car a couple of times,” a source close to the Portuguese star said.

The-23-year-old footballer, who remained unhurt, crashed on a corner while driving to training last month. The front of the Ferrari was demolished and one wheel was wrenched off.

Investigators later found that brake discs on the car were broken. But experts at Ferrari said the damage was caused by the collision and the car had been in perfect condition.

The expenses of this accident are surely going to make the 120,000-pound -a-week star think that it was the most expensive corner he’s ever taken. (ANI)

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