Chennai: Customs officers at Chennai airport seized 9.87 kg of heroin, worth Rs 70 crore, from two African women and arrested them.
According to officials, 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 Rs 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,” they added.
The drug was seized under Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act, 1985 read with the Customs Act and the duo were arrested.