Caught in the act: Naresh Goyal's wife fined Rs 36,200 for flying with dog

The great pleasure of a dog is that you may make a fool of yourself with him and not only will he not scold you, but he will make a fool of himself too, said Voctorian literteur Samuel Butler. And nobody knows this better than Anita Goyal, wife of Jet Airways chairman Naresh Goyal.

According to a_Times of India_ report, Anita was detained at the Mumbai airport and had to pay a fine of Rs 36,200 for carrying her pet dog in the flight against the rules.

According to the report, Anita was travelling from London and landed at the airport last Saturday,along with her dog. Customs officials asked her for clearances from the vets and licence from wildlife, import and trade authorities for carrying her pet dog. She just had a certificate from the vet.

The officials allowed her to take her pet home only after she paid Rs 36,200.As the value of Anita’s dog was Rs 45,000, she had to pay a duty of Rs 16,200, a fine of Rs 12,000 and a penalty of Rs 8,000.

[caption id=“attachment_868719” align=“alignright” width=“380”] Image for representative purpose only. Reuters[/caption]

As per the customs rules, a pet cannot be carried or imported into the country in a plane’s cabin unless it is accompanying a disabled passenger or is being flown due to transfer of residence.

But Anita conveniently carried her Maltese dog because she was “unaware that dogs are not supposed to be carried inside the cabin."

Now that is interesting. Because the pet travel rules listed on the Jet Airways’ website says: “Live animals cannot be carried in the cabin. Service animals accompanying a disabled guest in the passenger cabin do not fall under this category.”

So even if she was not aware of it, Jet authorities in London should have known. How did they allow her to board the aircraft with her dog is still a mystery.