Pune, Oct 3 (IANS): Customs officials seized 1.243 kg of suspected cannabis extract (hashish), valued at around Rs 1 crore, from a woman passenger arriving from Bangkok at Pune International Airport in Lohegaon, officials said.
The passenger arrived on Air India Express flight IX-241 on the evening of October 1. She was intercepted by officers of the Air Intelligence Unit (AIU), Pune Customs, and the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI), Pune Regional Unit, following behavioural profiling and screening of her suspicious check-in baggage.
During a detailed search conducted in accordance with procedures under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act, 1985, officials found the suspected narcotic substance concealed inside three branded cosmetic jars.
Two of the jars were labelled ‘Rice & Yolk Hair Treatment’, while the third was marked ‘Body Scrub’. Officials found a waxy, semi-solid substance with a strong odour inside the containers.
A preliminary test conducted using a Narcotic Drug Field Testing Kit returned positive for cannabis, officials said.
The entire 1.243 kg of suspected cannabis extract was seized under the provisions of the NDPS Act, 1985. The passenger was arrested, and further investigation is underway to ascertain the source and intended destination of the contraband.
In a separate incident reported earlier on September 4, a passenger was detained by an FRRO officer at Chaudhary Charan Singh International Airport in Lucknow after his travel pattern raised suspicion during immigration clearance.
Subsequently, Customs AIU officials recovered 1.677 kg of hydroponic weed, valued at around Rs 2 crore, from his luggage.
The passenger, identified as Anvar Ali, a resident of Malihabad in Lucknow, had arrived on flight WY-265 from Muscat. According to the FRRO, a pre-arrival analysis of data from the Advance Passenger Information System showed that Ali had travelled from Bangkok to Oman before flying to Lucknow.
During immigration clearance, an FRRO officer had detained Ali for detailed questioning because of his travel pattern and recent arrival from Bangkok. Ali initially told the officer that he had travelled to Bangkok for business purposes.
During questioning, the officer had suspected that Ali could be carrying contraband and handed him over to AIU officials for further questioning.
