Indian flier from Addis Ababa held at Mumbai airport with 2.8 kg cocaine
Jan 10, 2023
New Delhi [India], January 10 : Mumbai Airport Customs said on Tuesday that it arrested an Indian passenger, who was allegedly honey-trapped into smuggling 2.8 kg cocaine, valued at Rs 28.10 crores.
The 49-year-old passenger was arrested on January 6 and the cocaine was concealed in cloth samples that he was carrying to Delhi, the Mumbai Customs further informed.
The narcotic was hidden in the false cavity of a custom-made duffle bag stuffed with cloth samples, informed sources in the Mumbai Customs.
A senior Customs official informed that the 49-year-old flier from Addis Ababa was allegedly honey-trapped with the help of a voice simulator during an online call.
He added that the caller allegedly spoke in a woman's voice.
"The caller lured him with a job and proposed marriage if he settled in Addis Ababa, the capital of Ethiopia," the official said.
The probe further revealed that the passenger smuggled the cocaine at the behest of the caller, who also chatted with him on Facebook, the official said.
The passenger was arrested and remanded to judicial custody for 14 days, the police said, adding that further investigation is underway.
Earlier, on January 4, the Customs arrested an Indian passenger from Nairobi with 4.47 kg heroin.
Apart from narcotics, the Mumbai Airport Customs has also seized 13.73 kg gold and foreign currencies worth Rs 1.5 crores in January.
