A United Arab Emirates air force plane detained in the Indian city of Kolkata for three days for not declaring arms and explosives on board was released on Thursday, an airport official said. The military transport plane was given permission to land in Kolkata on Sunday to refuel on its way to Hanyang in China's Hubei province, from Abu Dhabi, but did not disclose its cargo.
"The plane of the United Arab Emirates detained at the city airport since Sunday evening left for China on Thursday morning," city airport director R. Srinivasan told AFP by telephone. He said clearances from the Indian ministries of external affairs and defence were issued for the plane and its nine-member crew on Wednesday evening.
Customs officials found three long metal boxes filled with arms and explosives on board the C-130 Hercules transport aircraft, an official from the airport security force told AFP without giving further details. UAE authorities said the crew of the plane had made a "technical mistake" by not filling in the required documentation for the weapons.