'The Da Vinci Code' among DVDs seized in TN

Chennai, Jun 19 (UNI) In two seizures, officials of Air Intelligence unit of Customs today seized nearly 2500 DVDs of several English films, including 250 DVDs of the controversial 'The Da Vinci Code', which is banned in Tamil Nadu and other States.

Commissioner of Customs, Airport, C Rajan, in a press release here said, in the first incident 1730 DVDs, including 250 DVDs of the banned 'Da Vinci Code', were found in a suitcase and a bag, abandoned near the conveyor belt area at the arrival hall of the International airport.

Efforts to trace the owner of the baggage proved futile.

Enquiries with several airlines, also revealed that no passenger had filed a property claim for the said baggage.

Suspecting that it might contain some contraband, the officials scanned and opened them and found the DVDs.

In another seizure, the officials seized 750 DVDs of English films from the baggage of a passenger who had arrived from Kuala Lumpur in Malaysia. All the DVDs were seized.

Mr Rajan said due to increased vigilance, 28 cases of attempted smuggling of pirated DVDs had been detected in the last two and a half months, resulting in seizures of 15,260 DVDs of English movies and 2,850 Hindi movies.

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