By Mohammad Asghar

RAWALPINDI, May 24: A flight purser of Pakistan International Airline (PIA) was arrested as heroin concealed in his cap, inside the soles of his shoes and in the cellphone casing was recovered during security check-in for Birmingham flight at Benazir Bhutto International Airport on Thursday. In another related development, a few hours after purser’s arrest at about 12 noon, the airport security staff found an unattended bag containing a pair of shoes lying outside the International Departure Lounge. On search, the security staff found almost 500gram heroin concealed inside the soles of the shoes. It was suspected that the bag belonged to the flight purser who would take it to the plane afterwards. Flight purser, Mohammad Javaid, was arrested during the security check-in of passengers for PIA Birmingham flight PK-791 at Benazir Bhutto International Airport. “The PIA official was in uniform and had been cleared by the Anti-Narcotics Force (ANF), Customs and ASF scanning counter but he was spotted at the ASF’s body search counter where he was stopped by the security staff as they observed that his cap seemed heavier than the usual,” an ASF official said adding that after the cap was torn apart, the heroin powder was recovered. As he was thoroughly checked, more heroin tactfully concealed inside the soles of his shoes and in the cellphone casing was recovered. The weight of the narcotic is estimated at 1,100gram. Later, he was shifted to the ASF’s control room. During preliminary interrogation, he revealed that he was to be paid Rs1 million for delivering the drug in UK. Normally the bags of flight crew are not checked thoroughly by the security staff. Possibly, he was not expecting it at all, a security staff said. It was the second time since March that a PIA crew member was arrested at Benazir Bhutto International airport for carrying drugs.