After the controversial exit of Plus Max duty-free shop from the Thiruvananthapuram International Airport four years ago following charges of blackmarketeering of foreign liquor, a joint venture of Adani and Flemingo Group is now set to open a duty-free shop at the airport. Plus Max was shut down following allegations that foreign liquor was diverted to black market using the travel documents of passengers without their consent.
The cases registered by enforcement agencies such as Customs, and the Central Bureau of Investigation are in various stages in courts. “We have received an application for licence from this new entity and the application is under process. Though the case in connection with Plus Max is yet to be disposed of, there is no legal hurdle to granting licence to the new entity. But the Customs will ensure that the earlier lapse is not repeated,” a senior Customs officer told The Hindu.
