Bollywood celebs have shown their support for Anushka Sharma, who was detained on Wednesday for not declaring jewellery. Actor Dia Mirza, who was with Sharma when she was being questioned, feels that celebrities are being targeted. "Considering the news of their detainment leaks out even before anyone outside knows of their arrival proves beyond a doubt that someone in there (at the airport) loves the attention," she said.
Mirza said that the Customs department does not seem to be equipped to evaluate jewellery. "This time, when I was headed to Toronto, I probed as to why I wasn't provided a (Customs) certificate. I was told by the Customs officer that they do not evaluate jewellery as they are not equipped to," she said.
Mirza added, "I was there when Anushka was being questioned and I know for a fact that she was carrying scanned images of every item of jewellery and letter of evaluation from the sponsored jeweller. What she did not have was a Customs certificate, which she tried to avail, but was not given. In fact, the officer at the departure gate told many of us to wear all our jewellery on arrival to avoid questioning."
Actor Minissha Lamba, who was recently detained for possession of undeclared jewellery, said, "There is a need to bring in a sense of practicality. One has to look into why an actor would do something illegal when he or she is going abroad to represent his or her country." Lamba also rues the fact that there is no proper system for jewellery evaluation. Actor Shilpa Shetty said, "The rich and famous are being targeted to set an example for all. It's usually them who try and save money and time by not declaring their goods and taking the green channel. I think we should let Customs do their job."