Veteran Congress Leader Shashi Tharoor's 'Part-Time Aide' Detained At New Delhi Airport For Smuggling Gold

In what appears to be an embarrassment for the grand old party, senior Congress leader Shashi Tharoor has confirmed that the individual detained in a gold smuggling case at Delhi airport was a former member of his staff as per a report by India Today.

This person, who was providing part-time airport facilitation assistance, was described by Tharoor as a "72-year-old retiree" undergoing frequent dialysis and retained on a part-time basis for compassionate reasons.

Tharoor, the Thiruvananthapuram MP, stated he does not "condone any alleged wrongdoing" and supports the authorities in their investigation.

Shiv Kumar Prasad, one of two people detained at Delhi airport for allegedly smuggling 500 grams of gold, claimed to be Tharoor's personal assistant.

Prasad was at the airport to receive a passenger arriving from Dubai, and both were arrested when the passenger handed over the gold to Prasad.

Prasad, who had an aerodrome entry permit allowing access to airport premises, was detained along with the passenger when they were caught exchanging the gold.

The BJP quickly criticised Tharoor, accusing the CPM and Congress of being an "alliance of gold smugglers."

Union Minister Rajeev Chandrasekhar also tweeted about the incident, referencing a 2020 case where 30 kg of gold was seized from M Sivasankar, the then-principal secretary to Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan.