A man was arrested at Mumbai airport for allegedly tearing pages from his passport to conceal his trips to Bangkok from his family, a police official said on Wednesday, reported the PTI.
The suspect was identified as 51-year-old Vijay Bhalerao, a Pune resident, said an official.
The officials said that he was intercepted by immigration officials at the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport (CSMIA) early Monday during checking when it was found that some pages in his passport were torn, according to the PTI.
A police official said that Bhalerao had visited Bangkok in Thailand four times last year. Earlier this month, he travelled to Indonesia from the Mumbai airport. His questioning revealed that he allegedly tore pages of his passport to hide his visits to Bangkok from his family, the official said, as per the PTI.
Bhalerao was taken to Sahar police station in western suburbs and booked under relevant sections under the Bharatiya Nyay Sanhita (BNS) and the Passport Act.
Further investigation in the matter was underway, the official added.
Guinean passenger held with drugs worth Rs 21.78 crore at Mumbai airport
A Guinean woman passenger was held by the officials of the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) with drugs worth around Rs 21.78 crore at Mumbai airport, the officials said on Wednesday.
The officials said, on the basis of a specific intelligence, a Guinean lady passenger, arriving at Mumbai from Nairobi suspected to be carrying Narcotic drugs, was intercepted by the DRI Mumbai Zonal Unit officers. On examination, three packets of white-coloured powder were found concealed in the checked-in luggage.
It said that based on the reasonable belief that the said white powder was a narcotic drug, it was tested using the NDPS Field Test Kit. The substance tested positive for cocaine.
The total weight of the recovered substance was found to be 2178 grams.
The approximate international market value of the seized cocaine is Rs 21.78 crore.
“The said drug packets were seized and passenger was arrested under provisions of Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act of 1985,” the officials said.
Further investigation is under progress, they said.
(with PTI inputs)
