A Tanzania national was caught with 1.38kg of heroin worth ₹11.53 crore at Rajiv Gandhi International Airport, Shamshabad.
Though the passenger was caught on April 26, he was admitted to a hospital for six days, and 108 capsules of heroin wrapped in the adhesive transparent tape were purged out from his body. The passenger was arrested under relevant Sections of the NDPS Act on Tuesday and was later remanded to judicial custody.
Customs officials said that based on passenger profiling and body behaviour, the officers of the Air Intelligence Unit at the airport identified and intercepted the accused Tanzania national, aged about 50 Years, who arrived from Johannesburg via Abu Dhabi by Etihad Airways Flight No. EY-274.
When questioned, the passenger admitted that he had ingested capsules containing Heroin. Immediately, the passenger was produced before the Magistrate and after obtaining the Magistrate’s permission, he was admitted to a hospital where the capsules were purged out.
These capsules purged by the passenger were cut opened and the smuggled Heroin weighed 1389.100gm and was valued at ₹11.53 crore in the international grey market, and was seized.
During the investigation, it was revealed that he swallowed the capsules in Tanzania. “He was supposed to purge them over a period of three to four days and hand over to an unknown person,” the officer said.
He said that due to the alertness and timely action by the Officers of Customs, the passenger was nabbed immediately on his arrival at Hyderabad. Further investigation is in progress.
