Customs officials have arrested a Kenyan national at the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International airport on Tuesday while she was allegedly trying to smuggle cocaine worth Rs 17.79 crore into the country. The accused passenger had concealed the contraband in her trolley bag.
The customs department on Wednesday stated that based on spot profiling, one passenger who arrived from Nairobi to Mumbai via Doha in flight QR1342/6E1304 was intercepted by the customs officers at the airport.
During the detailed examination of the baggage, a white-coloured powdered substance, purported to be cocaine, having net weight of 1,789 gram and approximately valued at Rs 17.89 crore was seized from the false cavity of the trolley bag carried by her, customs officers said.
After a thorough interrogation, the suspected foreigner was placed under arrest as per relevant sections of the Narcotics Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act for smuggling commercial quantities of drugs.
The arrested Kenyan woman has been identified as Emily Rodha, 43. During interrogation, she admitted that another woman handed over consignment to her at Nairobi and promised to pay her 1,00,000 Kenyan Shilling (equivalent to INR 66,110) for successful delivery of the contraband to her associate in Delhi.
Customs officials are also checking her travel history to find whether she smuggled narcotics or any other banned or restricted items to India in the past.
The investigators are also trying to find out details of her other associates involved in the smuggling racket.
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