Mangaluru: Nearly 90 passengers on Tuesday who arrived at the Mangaluru International Airport from Dubai complaint that their luggage was “missing” on arrival

The passengers who arrived on the SpiceJet flight were later told by the airline that their luggage would arrive after a couple of days through cargo and would be delivered to their homes. They were asked to fill out forms and addresses at the airline counter at the Mangaluru airport.

The passengers however have denied being informed of any such arrangements in advance. “We were told about this only after arriving at the Mangaluru Airport.” One of the passengers who were on the flight told Vartha Bharati.

“The flight was scheduled to take off from Dubai at 4:20 pm local time but it took off three hours after the scheduled time. We were made to wait on the flight for nearly two hours before taking off. There were 180 passengers on the flight and only 90 of them got their luggage loaded on the flight while the luggage of others was not loaded and instead were told that they would get their luggage after 2-3 days.” Syed Shadab a Bhatkal resident who was also on the flight said.

For Shadab however, this was not the first time an incident like this had happened. Shadab alleged that the airline gave him a similar shocker about 15 days back at the Mumbai airport. His luggage was not loaded on the flight and was sent through cargo.

The passengers after arriving at the Mangaluru Airport protested against the airline for loading their luggage in cargo despite taking complete charges and ticket fares that include luggage charges. Several also claimed that their luggage had edible and perishable items which would be of no use if it arrives 2-3 days after it was loaded. They also demanded a refund for their ticket prices, but to no avail.

Vartha Bharati tried to contact the airline for an official comment regarding the issue but did not receive any response from the airline. The story will be updated as and when we get a response from SpiceJet.

Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.



Mangaluru: Surathkal Police have arrested two persons and seized 54.06 grams of MDMA valued at Rs 5.41 lakh near a weighing bridge at Mukka within the Surathkal police station limits, Deccan Herald reported on Saturday.

According to DCP (Law and Order) Mithun H.N., the police acted on credible information that a resident of Kaup was arriving in the area to sell MDMA. Based on the tip-off, the PSI of Surathkal Police Station conducted a raid and found two cars parked side by side at the spot.

The arrested accused have been identified as Zakaria (38), from Kombugudde in Kaup and Mithun Poojary (23), from Santhekatte, Udupi district.

During interrogation, it was revealed that the accused had allegedly come to Surathkal to sell the MDMA to college students and the general public. Police arrested both and seized a total of 54.06 grams of MDMA from their possession,18.42 grams from Zakaria and 36.18 grams from Mithun Poojary.

Police confiscated two cars worth Rs 13 lakh, two mobile phones valued at Rs 20,000, and cash amounting to Rs 11,700. The total value of the seized property is estimated at Rs 18,72,700.

A case has been registered at the Surathkal Police Station under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act. Further investigation is in progress.

The DCP said that Zakaria has a criminal history, with five previous cases registered against him. These include assault cases at Bajpe Police Station in 2009 and Mulki Police Station in 2020, a case involving assault on a woman in 2022, a kidnapping case at Udupi Town Police Station in 2021, and another assault case at Padubidri Police Station in 2022.