Communication gap in ‘UAE’ aircraft? (Lead)
September 7th, 2009 - 3:37 pm ICT by IBNSKolkata, Sept 7 (IBNS) Indian customs on Sunday night detained an aircraft apparently belonging to the United Arab Emirates (UAE) air force after it landed in Kolkata for refuelling and found to be carrying arms, officials said on Monday.
Officials on Monday said the aircraft grounded at the Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose International (NSCBI) Airport here on Sunday evening was not allowed to take off and its crew members were detained for questioning after the authorities found arms on the plane not declared before seeking landing permission.
“We are investigating the matter. The crew members showed us documents to prove that the plane belongs to the UAE air force,” a customs official told IBNS.
According to a Times Now report, airport sources said the crew members are still being questioned.
“It seems there was a communication gap. But nothing can be said accurately until the crew are properly interrogated,” airport sources told Times Now Monday noon.
The plane was flying to Hanyang in China from Abu Dhabi, officials said.
In 1995, a British gunrunner- Peter Bleach- and five Latvian air crew of an aircraft were arrested for dropping a large consignment of arms in a remote village of West Bengal in eastern India.
They were found guilty of parachuting crates of weapons, including anti-tank missiles and rocket launchers, in a village in Purulia area.
Peter Bleach and the Latvian air crew were imprisoned for years in Indian jail and later released on Presidential pardon but the alleged mastermind, a Danish national identified as Kim Davy, could not be traced.
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Tags: abu dhabi, air crew, anti tank missiles, bleach, communication gap, consignment, crew members, danish, eastern india, gap, gunrunner, ibns, indian customs, mastermind, netaji subhas chandra bose, presidential pardon, rocket launchers, sunday evening, united arab emirates, west bengal