Hyderabad Customs officials at Rajiv Gandhi International Airport have seized heroin worth Rs 14.2 crore from an African woman who arrived from Nairobi on Sunday morning. The passenger, a Burundi citizen, who arrived from Nairobi via Sharjah on July 2 aboard Air Arabia Airways Flight No. G9-458, was identified and intercepted based on passenger profiling and careful observation, officials said. The female passenger, aged around 43, has been arrested under the NDPS Act, 1985, and subsequently sent to judicial custody by the court.
During the examination of her baggage, officials discovered 2,027 grams of heroin concealed within various items. The officials who intercepted the flyer, found that eight traditional African dresses, a women’s handbag and three soaps contained in her baggage appeared to be heavier than normal, a statement said. On careful opening of the side walls/layers of the dresses, handbag and the soaps, black/clear plastic packets/pouches concealed in each of the walls/layers of the handbag, buttons of dresses and soaps were found.
“Opening of said packets contained brownish white powder, which upon testing appeared to be heroin, a narcotic drug which is prohibited under NDPS Act 1985. A total of 2027 grams of heroin valued at approx. Rs 14.2 crore in the international market was seized,” the statement added.
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The Hyderabad Customs Department praised the diligent, alert, and prompt action taken by its officers, resulting in the significant seizure of narcotics.
Earlier, two passengers were arrested by customs officials at the international airport in Hyderabad for their alleged involvement in attempting to smuggle gold worth over Rs 1 crore. Based on specific information received, two male passengers who arrived on a flight from Dubai at the international airport in Hyderabad were intercepted by officers from the Customs Air Intelligence unit of Hyderabad Customs. Upon searching the passengers, it was discovered that they had concealed a total of six capsules containing gold paste wrapped with black tape in their rectum.
The customs officials seized a total of 1,705.3 grams of gold, valued at Rs 1,05,21,701, from the two individuals. The passengers have been arrested under the Indian Customs Act of 1962.