New Delhi, Mar 23 (IANS): A buzz is going around about the relative of a popular politician getting detained by the Customs authorities at Kolkata's NSCBI Airport for checking of her baggage, with the incident sparking a stand-off between the Customs authorities and the local police.
Days after the "incident" was "reported" by some portals and the Bengali moutpiece of the CPI-M, a copy of a purported police complaint filed by a customs official on March 22 against two women, including the relative of the politician, was prominently carried by a couple of national news channels on Saturday.
The "police complaint" filed by the customs official, which he requested be treated as an FIR, alleged "interference, obstruction and criminal intimidation" of Customs officials by the security personnel relating to the examination of baggage of two women passengers who arrived from abroad at Kolkata airport.
The five-page "complaint", which on close scrutiny was found to be unsigned, also mentioned that the women finally left the airport via the green channel.
The 'complaint' claimed that one of the women also filed a complaint with the police against the Customs authorities alleging "misbehaviour, harassment, undue detention and extortion of money for clearing her baggage".
IANS tried to get in touch with the Customs official, whose name appears as the complainant, but he refused to take calls or respond to messages.
An officier at the NSCBI airport, where the complaints are said to have been lodged, also refused to speak to IANS on the issue.
The Bharatiya Janata Party called a media conference on the issue in the evening, but cancelled it after realising the "copy of the complaint" in its possession was "unsigned".
Meanwhile, without mentioning any incident, Trinamool spokesperson and leader in the Rajya Sabha Derek O'Brien said on Twitter: "Expect more of this from BJP-RSS during #elections.How they spread #FakeNews
"Step 1: Create a 'false story'; Step 2: Publish the 'false story' on a RW portal; Step 3: Spread story via social media & paid WA; Step 4: Media take notice. Then fave BJP channels run falsehood".