The lorry owner and driver at the Customs office | Screengrab: Mathrubhumi News
Kochi: The Customs department questioned the drivers who transported religious texts from the UAE consulate to C-apt and then to Malappuram. The officials also questioned the clearing agent, who took the packages from cargo. The questioning took place at the Customs office in Kochi.
The drivers said that the packages carrying religious texts were taken from the UAE consulate to the C-apt office in Thiruvananthapuram based on the direction of officials.
The drivers said they never knew what was inside the package until they reached the C-apt office. They only knew that the direction from officials was based on the minister’s directive.
We came to know that the packages contained religious texts after the officials opened one of the 32 packages. The remaining packages were taken to two establishments in Edappal. We don’t know anything about GPS signals being lost, they said.
Customs agent confirmed that a 4,478 kilogram diplomatic baggage bearing the seal of UAE government reached Thiruvananthapuram airport through diplomatic cargo. The package was taken to the UAE consulate.