BY Tamanna kumari [ student of jamia hamdard]

New Delhi: Congress leader Shashi Tharoor expressed shock after learning that a former staff member was detained for smuggling gold. Shiv Prasad, the ex-staffer, was caught at IGI Airport with gold worth Rs 35 lakh.

PHOTO CREDIT BY. NDTV

Tharoor, currently campaigning in Dharamshala, addressed the incident on X (formerly Twitter). “I was shocked to hear of an incident involving a former member of my staff who has been rendering part-time service to me in terms of airport facilitation assistance,” he wrote. Tharoor emphasized his support for the investigation, stating, “I do not condone any alleged wrongdoing and fully support the authorities. The law must take its own course.”

Prasad, a 72-year-old retiree undergoing frequent dialysis, was working part-time on compassionate grounds. Customs officials detained him on Wednesday at Terminal 3 of IGI Airport, where they found over 500 grams of gold. Union Minister Rajeev Chandrasekhar criticized Tharoor, accusing the Congress and CPM of being an “alliance of gold smugglers.”