A 26-year-old Air India Express cabin crew member was arrested by the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) at the Kannur airport on May 28, for allegedly smuggling gold by concealing it in her rectum. The officials seized nearly one kilogram of gold from her possession. The cabin crew member has been identified as Surabhi Khatun, a native of Kolkata. Further probe is underway to find out if others were also involved in the crime.

According to reports, the DRI got a tip off that gold was being smuggled by the cabin crew of Air India Express flight IX 714 that was coming from Muscat to Kannur. She was intercepted as soon as the flight landed and the police found 960 grams of gold in compound form. It was found concealed inside her rectum.

A The New Indian Express report quoted DRI sources saying that Surabhi might have been involved in multiple instances of gold smuggling. They had also stated that Surabhi named certain persons who hired her for smuggling the gold.

Earlier in March 2023, another Air India Express cabin crew member Shafi Sharaf was arrested for allegedly smuggling over 1.4 kilograms of gold through Cochin International Airport. He had hidden the gold in the form of paste in plastic bands under his sleeves.