MUMBAI: The Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) has apprehended three African women at Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport in Mumbai on allegations of smuggling cocaine valued at Rs 5.68 crore.
Their modus operandi involved concealing the illicit substance within sanitary napkins and ingesting it. This operation, spanning the past three days, was carried out by the DRI's Mumbai unit based on specific intelligence.
Among the arrested individuals were two Ugandan nationals who had the contraband hidden in sanitary napkins, while a Tanzanian woman had ingested capsules containing cocaine, according to an official statement.
The trio is now facing charges in accordance with the relevant sections of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act and has been placed in judicial custody.
The perpetrators had previously concealed narcotics in their luggage or by ingestion, but in this instance, they resorted to concealing the substance within sanitary napkins as a means to evade detection, as stated by the official. An ongoing investigation is in progress to uncover further details.
(With agency inputs)
