This Monday, the New Custom House at Ballard Estate is likely to see an exalted visitor on its mundane premises.


Aishwarya Rai’s father Krishna Raj Rai, who met the commissioner of customs A K Prasad on Wednesday, assured him that his daughter would report to the office after completing her shooting for Ashutosh Gowariker’s ‘Akbar Jodha’. The unit is currently stationed in Jaipur.


Aishwarya has been asked to go to Custom House to record her statement in connection with a mysterious parcel which arrived from Rotterdam in September.


The parcel, addressed to her, which came to the foreign post office, contained 23,000 euros, a DVD player, two Nokia mobile phones, a pair of binoculars and a Ralph Lauren Polo Sport shirt.


The sender, a certain Avineshwar, had not declared the cash which, customs officers say, amounts to smuggling. Avineshwar is believed to be an event manager who had organised a show featuring the actress in Amsterdam last year.


Rai Sr reportedly told the commissioner that his daughter wanted to cooperate in the investigation and would appear before customs on Monday or Tuesday after returning to Mumbai on the weekend. Sources said Rai was with the commissioner for about 15 minutes.


Aishwarya continues to maintain that she does not know Avineshwar and has denied all knowledge of any parcel being sent to her.


Apart from a statement by her lawyer to this effect, the actress told a TV channel this in Jaipur on Wednesday. She also insisted that she had received no summons or communication from the customs department.


The two letters sent to her by the department were sent to her Khar address, which is the address on the parcel. The actress now lives in Bandra, and the letters from customs may not have been delivered to her. The department is giving her the benefit of doubt on this score.





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