The family of Avanti Galada, mistakenly mentioned in the media as having been detained for smuggling gold from Thailand, was on Friday extremely distraught. Vimal Galada, a prominent businessmen, who is Avanti’s father-in-law, told Express: “We were very shocked about the whole thing. She and my son Pranav had gone to Bangkok for a vacation and returned that night. She was never accused of being a gold smuggler.”
A report that appeared in these columns on September 20, said Avanti was detained by the DRI for concealing 1.5 kg of gold. The information regarding the incident, including the name and details were from an official source in the State Intelligence and corroborated by the local police. Though they have little jurisdiction when the DRI is involved, airport sources verified that such an incident occurred but were unable to attest to the identity of the person involved.
Express regrets having incorrectly mentioned her name.