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3 Afghan nationals arrested

Staff Reporter

Women carrying 5 kg each in belts on waists
Worth Rs.10 crore in international market

NEW DELHI: Three siblings from Afghanistan -- two sisters and a brother -- have been arrested by the Customs Department at the Indira Gandhi International Airport here on charges of smuggling in 10 kg of heroin.

Afghana Gul and Khanom Gul and their brother Sakhi Did landed at the IGI Airport on a flight from Kabul on Wednesday evening. The sisters were wearing heavy sweaters and were in “burqa”. While they were checking out, their “odd” gait raised suspicion and the Customs officials intercepted them for questioning. On frisking, the women staff found belts wrapped around the waists of the sisters.

Each belt contained 5 kg of white powdery substance that later turned out to be heroin of very high quality. Subsequently, the three accused were arrested under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act. According to the Customs officials, the consignment is worth about Rs.10 crore in the international market.

Pretended to be ill

During interrogation, the accused purportedly disclosed that they had collected the consignment in Kabul. The Afghan sisters had pretended to be ill to obtain visas for treatment in India. It is learnt that a sizable number of people from Afghanistan come to India mainly for treatment.

The Customs officials also interrogated Sakhi suspecting that he knew more about where the consignment was headed for, but he did not disclose any information.

The officials suspect that the consignment was being brought here for an international drugs syndicate being run by West African nationals.

The seizure has indicated that the Afghanistan-based drug traffickers are now dealing directly with international syndicates.

They are training women to work as couriers to evade detection.

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