Mangalore: Saffron Worth Rs 30 Lac Seized at Airport - Two Arrested

Daijiworld Media Network - Mangalore

Update

Mangalore, Nov 3: In a major haul, the officials at the Mangalore International Airport on Saturday November 3 reportedly seized saffron estimated at Rs 25 lac.

It is learnt that two persons from Kerala have been arrested in this connection.

The arrested have been identified as Mohammed Ali (40), and Vijaynagar Ahmed Nizar (33), both from Nellikunje, Kasargod. They arrived by the early morning flight from Dubai on Saturday.

Also, 3,700 memory cards, valued at Rs 3.7 lac have also been recovered from them. The total value of the seized items is Rs 28.7 lac.

It is said that the saffron, sourced from Iran, was packed in a carton under layers of food items, while the memory cards were wrapped in carbon paper which cannot be detected by the scanner during checking. Hence, they were cleared by the customs.

As many as 500 saffron packets, each of 25 grams were found on Mohammed Ali, while the memory cards and the remaining saffron were with Nizar.

They were frequent fliers to Dubai, hence it is suspected that they might have smuggled in saffron or other items earlier too.

The directorate of revenue intelligence (DRI) officials are investigating further.

The officials at the Aiport are tight-lipped on the matter and have declined to divulge further details.