DH
Bangalore, Jul 4: In a first ever major haul at the Bengaluru International airport, Customs officials arrested two foreign nationals and seized Rs 10 crore worth heroin at Bengaluru International airport during the wee hours of Wednesday.
Based on intelligence, officers of the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence, Bangalore, intercepted two passengers Khaektet Thitaree (23), a Thai national and Mwinshehe Shabani Selemani (36), a Tanzanian National who were attempting to smuggle out heroin out of the city.
Khaektet Thitaree was intercepted while she was about to board a Malaysian Airlines Flight No MH 0193 at 00.50 hrs. On examining her two checked-in baggages around 2080 gms of heroin concealed in the false bottom of the baggage was recovered. The contraband valued at Rs 7 crore approximately in the international market was seized. She travelled from New Delhi to Bangalore by Jetlite flight on July one, and reached Bangalore on 21.25 hrs and was taking the connecting flight to Kuala Lumpur at 00.50 hrs. On interrogation, she said she is a student and has come to India for a short visit. She carried the baggage containing narcotic drugs for a remuneration of $2000 and a free flight ticket as promised by some persons whom she met during her stay at Delhi.
On a tip off, Mwinshehe Shabani Selemani, a Tanzanian, who had already boarded the Malaysian Airlines Flight No MH 0193 was deplaned from the aircraft along with his cabin baggage. He confessed to carrying 65 capsules of heroin in his body. He was admitted in a hospital and he had ejected the capsules of heroin. After a through medical observation he was discharged. Each capsulefound containing approximately 13 grams of heroin.
A total quantity of 856 grams of heroin was concealed in these capsules. The contraband valued at Rs 2.57 crore in the international market was seized. He actually travelled from New Delhi to Bangalore by Jetlite flight on July one and reached Bangalore at 21.25 hrs and was taking the connecting flight to Kuala Lumpur at 00.50 hrs.
Mwinshehe Shabani Selemani said that he is a small time trader in ladies garments, artificial jewellery and mobile phones and sells the same at a shop in Dar-Es-Salaam owned by his father. This time, he carried the narcotic substance for a remuneration of $20,000 as promised by some persons whom he met in Delhi.
Later both were arrested under the Narcotics and Psychotropic Substances Act, 1985, and was produced before the Magistrate, who remanded him for judicial custody.
The final destination of Khaektet Thitaree was to Ho-Chi-Minn City, Vietnam and Mwinshehe Shabani Selemani was to Macau. Preliminary investigation indicated that they were used by certain Delhi based drug cartels indulging in the smuggling of narcotic substances. It is pertinent to point out that these are the first ever seizure of narcotic drugs effected from the foreign nationals at the newly commenced Bengaluru International Airport by any Enforcement agencies.