Heroin worth ₹70 crore seized at Chennai airport

A woman from Zimbabwe and another from South Africa were arrested for trying to smuggle heroin worth ₹70 crore at Chennai airport.An official release said the two arrived from Johannesburg via Doha. O

A woman from Zimbabwe and another from South Africa were arrested for trying to smuggle heroin worth ₹70 crore at Chennai airport. An official release said the two arrived from Johannesburg via Doha. One of them was in a wheelchair and was questioned by Customs officials but she gave evasive replies. Both carried stroller bags which had false bottoms with plastic pockets and they were sprinkled with a spice powder. On opening, the officials found a coarse white powder and it tested positive for heroin. Totally, 9.87kg of heroin worth ₹70 crore was seized under NDPS Act 1985 and Customs Act. “On questioning, it was learnt that a passenger from Zimbabwe was travelling to India for medical treatment at a private Super Speciality Hospital in Delhi, along with her attendant, a resident of Cape Town, South Africa, on a visa granted on the basis of communication from the hospital. Because of COVID-19 scare in Delhi, they landed in Chennai,” the release said. They have been arrested.