Passengers to Sri Lanka barred from carrying commercial goods
Posted on: 02/Aug/2013 12:31:06 PM
For many years passengers have been carrying retail items to Sri Lanka to be sold there. Now for the first time, fifty passengers were on Thursday stopped from boarding a Jet Airways flight to Colombo after customs officials found them carrying commercial goods, but travelling on a tourist visa.
This is the first instance in recent times that the customs department has stopped passengers from travelling abroad en masse. The plane, carrying 114 passengers, left for Colombo leaving behind the 50 traders.
The passengers, mostly traders from Burma Bazaar, were carrying brand new clothing, such as lungis, inner wear, nightwear and churidhars to Colombo.
Commercial goods cannot be carried as bona fide baggage. The officials also said that the men were susceptible to smuggling in gold on their return journey.
The official further pointed out that those who carried retail goods may not return to the city. “If they did, they could return as ‘carriers’ of other goods,, such as gold or illegal items, landing at airports nearby and travelling to Chennai by road. But we keep a watch on such passengers at all airports,” the official added.
