Shashi Tharoor’s ‘aide’ arrested in gold smuggling case in Delhi; ‘law must take its own course’, says MP

A further probe revealed the involvement of another individual who had come to the airport to receive the passenger and assist in smuggling, Koundinya added.

“The said individual was intercepted and a heavy gold chain weighing 500 grams was recovered from him which was handed over to him by the passenger inside the arrival hall,” Koundinya said, adding that an enquiry had revealed that the individual had a valid Aerodrome Entry Permit. “The circumstances of acquisition of aerodrome entry permit by the receiver, as a part of the protocol team for a member of parliament, are being looked into,” he further said.

Gold valued at Rs 35.22 lakh was seized and further probe is underway, the statement said.

In a post on X, Tharoor said, “While I am in Dharamshala for campaigning purposes, I was shocked to hear of an incident involving a former member of my staff. He is a 72 year old retiree undergoing frequent dialysis and was retained on a part-time basis on compassionate grounds.”

Saying that the “law must take its own course”, Tharoor said that he fully supported the authorities in their efforts to take “any necessary action as may be required to investigate the matter”.