If you think that the role of a flight attendant is limited to just serving meals and drinks, you’re quite mistaken.
Besides ensuring passengers are well-fed and hydrated, flight attendants also play a crucial role in maintaining safety aboard the aircraft, which includes staying vigilant for any unusual or suspicious behavior.
In one remarkable instance, the alertness of flight attendants led customs officials at Delhi Airport in India to uncover a gold smuggling plot. This was after some passengers declined the in-flight meal service. Let’s be honest, who can endure a lengthy flight without at least a cup of tea or a snack?
The Indigo Airlines flight 6E-1802 crew noticed something unusual when they found three passengers remaining unusually still for the duration of the three-and-a-half-hour journey from Almaty, Uzbekistan. The crew offered them a variety of refreshments to gauge their responses.
When the passengers declined food, tea, and water, the flight attendants grew more concerned about their odd behavior and decided to notify the captain.
Subsequently, the captain contacted customs officers at Delhi’s IGI airport via air traffic control, who then prepared to meet the passengers upon their arrival in the city.
Upon arrival, customs personnel questioned the passengers and scanned their luggage using X-ray machines, but initially found nothing. Unsatisfied with these results, the officers employed Door Frame Metal Detectors for further inspection, which also yielded no findings.
Suspecting foul play, officials took each traveler into a private room for individual questioning, where each eventually admitted to smuggling gold hidden in their bodies.
A search was subsequently conducted, resulting in the recovery of roughly 439 grams of gold from eight separate pieces.
According to News 18, all three passengers were arrested at the airport and taken into custody, though it’s yet to be confirmed if they are of Indian nationality.
In another incident, a traveler from Indore to New Delhi was stopped after raising suspicions at Indira Gandhi International Airport.
Airport security observed something unusual during an X-ray scan of the luggage.
A subsequent search of the suitcase uncovered nearly 999 grams of gold, estimated to be worth about $86,000.