22 live rounds of .22 caliber were detected from a man's baggage by SpiceJet employees.
A SpiceJet staff detected bullets from the baggage of a passenger at Pune airport early morning. The passenger was Bengaluru-bound on SpiceJet flight SG-519.
At 4:45 am today, 22 live rounds of .22 caliber were detected from a man's baggage by SpiceJet employees.
The 58-year-old passenger was handed over to the police for legal action. The man told the police that since he was in a hurry, he forgot to remove the cartridges from the bag before heading to the airport, he said, adding that investigation in underway.
In its statement, Spicejet said, "The passenger had not declared the live cartridges before placing the baggage for screening. He was questioned by SpiceJet staff and the CISF was immediately informed. The passenger was requested to provide the necessary documents, which according to him he had left at his home. The passenger was handed over to CISF and was then taken to the local police station."
According to the law, anyone who carries ammunition on a flight has to declare it to the security staff of the airline during the security screening of their bags. Passengers are allowed to carry one licensed revolver or pistol or shotgun and fifty (50) cartridges in registered baggage but they must declare orally or in writing about carriage of firearm/ammunition. The passenger is also required to carry a valid license or authorization for carriage of firearm and/or ammunition and the firearm must be unloaded and packed separately from the ammunition.
The law also says that if a passenger fails to declare this, the individual can be criminally prosecuted. SpiceJet says it in accordance with proceedure that the passenger was detained and handed over to local police.
"Our investigation has revealed that he has a valid license of a .32 caliber pistol," senior inspector Dilip Shinde was quoted as saying by news agency PTI.
In another incident, two live cartridges of a .9 mm weapon were seized from the baggage of another 61-year-old passenger, who was going to travel to New Delhi in an IndiGo flight, he said.
The passenger, who comes from Delhi, worked as a locomotive driver with the Railways, Mr Shinde said.
"He claimed that he had come to Pune to visit his son, who works as an IT engineer here. He has also said that he does not have any valid gun license," he said.
"We are questioning him about how the two cartridges came into his bag. He is also checking with his son and other family members about it," Mr Shinde said.
The two cartridges found in the bag of Delhi-bound passenger will be sent for ballistic analysis, and if they are found to be genuine and the passenger fails to produce a valid gun license, a case will be registered against him, the official said.
(With Inputs From ANI, PTI)