Wife Of Mamata’s Nephew Caught With 2 Kg Gold At Kolkata Airport; Gets Shielded By Local Police, Claims Report

The alleged seizure of gold from a lady who flew in to Kolkata from Bangkok on Saturday (16 March) has sent the political temperature soaring in the state.

According to news reports, the lady was Rujira Banerjee, the wife of Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee’s nephew Abhishek Banerjee. Abhishek, 32, is a Lok Sabha Member of Parliament.

The news report says that the lady flew in on a Thai Airways flight from Bangkok and while passing through normal screening, was found carrying with two kilos of gold.

When customs officials questioned her about the gold (valued at more than Rs 68 lakh), she reportedly called up her husband. Soon, several senior Kolkata Police officers reached the airport and tried to allegedly whisk her away.

This reportedly led to a face off between police and customs officials, but the matter was resolved. It is not known if any case was registered against the lady or if the gold was seized by customs.

BJP leaders have called for a detailed inquiry. Rajya Sabha MP Swapan Dasgupta attached a photograph of a news item that appeared in a local Hindi newspaper on Sunday on his twitter handle (see this) and asked for an inquiry.

Union Babul Supriyo also tweeted about it and assured his followers that he is acquiring details of the incident.

State BJP Mahila Morcha chief Locket Chatterjee posted a link to the news report in a tweet and demanded a statement from Abhishek Banerjee. So far, there has been no response from any TMC leader. But with electioneering on in full swing, this incident could snowball into a major campaign issue.