2.15 kg gold worth Rs 1.09 cr seized at Mangaluru Airport; two arrested

News Network

January 15, 2021

Mangaluru, Jan 15: Customs officials at Mangaluru International Airport (MIA) on Friday arrested two people and seized gold worth about Rs 1.09 crores from them.

Official sources said on Friday that based on intelligence and profiling of passengers, customs sleuths intercepted two people identified as Faizal Thotty Melparamba (37) and Mohammad Shuhaib Mugu (31), both hailing from Kasargod, Kerala and had arrived from Sharjah by an Air India flight.

When a personal search of both the passengers was carried out it was found that the duo had concealed the gold in paste form in their underwear. A total of 2.154 kg of gol of 24k purity valued Rs 1.09 crores was recovered.

Customs Commissioner, Imamuddin Ahmed and Joint Commissioner Joannes George, congratulated the customs team led by Praveen Kandi, Deputy Commissioner, and officers Srikanth K, Superintendent, Subhendu Ranjan Behera, Superintendent, Naveen Kumar, Superintendent and others, for their vigilant action in catching the smugglers.

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NRIs push for better air connectivity between Mangaluru and Singapore after AIE setback

News Network

January 13,2025

Mangaluru: Non-Resident Indians (NRIs) in Singapore remain determined to establish direct air connectivity between Mangaluru and Singapore despite setbacks. This follows Air India Express' (AIE) recent decision to postpone its planned direct flight service on this route, disappointing many expats.

In response, NRIs have proposed an alternative solution: extending IndiGo's existing Singapore-Bengaluru flight to Mangaluru. Currently, the Singapore-Bengaluru flight lands at Kempegowda International Airport at 7:40 AM, but passengers cannot board the 9:00 AM Bengaluru-Mangaluru connection due to insufficient transit time. Extending the Singapore-Bengaluru flight to Mangaluru would address this issue and benefit travelers.

Rajesh H. Acharya, director of HQ Connections in Singapore and coordinator of the Singapore Tuluver community, expressed disappointment over AIE's handling of the situation. "We’ve been advocating for this route since 2017, and it was close to becoming a reality. However, the sudden postponement and lack of stakeholder support have delayed our efforts," he said.

A petition has been submitted to IndiGo Airlines requesting the introduction of a direct Mangaluru-Singapore flight. Alternatively, it suggests extending IndiGo’s existing Singapore-Bengaluru flight to include Mangaluru. Expats have also approached Scoot Airlines in Singapore for direct connectivity. However, the lack of 'Point of Call' status for Mangaluru Airport remains a significant hurdle for international flights.

Despite the challenges, NRIs continue their efforts to make direct air connectivity between Mangaluru and Singapore a reality.

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