Till a little over a year ago, goods confiscated from passengers' handbags and those from luggage left behind were destroyed under a road roller.
Till a little over a year ago, goods confiscated from passengers' handbags and those from luggage left behind were destroyed under a road roller.
But now the Mumbai International Airport Limited (MIAL) has smartened up and started auctioning the expensive items seized, earning them around Rs 2 lakh in the process.
Some of the items include laptops, cellphones, clothes, iPods and expensive lighters.
"All objects that are left behind and not claimed by the passengers are now disposed of every four months.
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Clothes are auctioned off to Indian Red Cross society and the liquor bottles are broken every two weeks," said an official spokesperson of MIAL.
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Raking It In: Mumbai International Airport Limited has started auctioning expensive items from bags that passengers leave behind to avoid paying duty. |
Six auctions have taken place so far and, according to sources, an average of Rs 30,000 has been amassed from each auction.
Abandoned baggage
Some of the goods belong to passengers who leave behind their bags to avoid paying heavy duty. These bags invariably become bomb threats, as they're abandoned.
But after they're cleared, the bags are tagged and handed over to the authorities of MIAL. If a bag is not claimed in two to three months, its contents are auctioned.
In case of confiscated goods, it's the CISF who hands them over to MIAL. "We confiscate objects like small knifes, perfumes, blades, alcohol, water from passengers' handbags," said J S Negi, chief commandant of CISF.
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The inexpensive objects are crushed under a road roller in the presence of MIAL and CISF officials.
