Passenger on Phuket–Bengaluru flight held in suspected drug-smuggling case

Customs officials detained a passenger at the aerobridge after an Air India Express flight from Phuket landed in Bengaluru around 7pm on Friday.

The passenger, travelling on flight IX 903, is alleged to have carried 13 packets of a prohibited substance bought in Phuket. He allegedly tried to place them inside the overhead oxygen-mask panel in the aircraft lavatory and discarded some in a bin when he could not conceal all of them.

He told cabin crew that he had accidentally damaged the overhead panel while changing clothes in the lavatory. Customs officers were waiting at the aerobridge when the flight arrived.

Air India Express said it was aware of an ongoing investigation into alleged smuggling by a passenger on the Phuket flight. “We maintain strict protocols and continue to support the authorities in all investigations,” an airline spokesperson said.

The nature of the substance and the passenger’s identity were not disclosed.