Mumbai, July 3, 2026: The Mumbai Airport Customs officials have arrested a 45-year-old transit passenger for allegedly trafficking drugs sourced from Bangkok. The drugs were allegedly given to him by an airline staffer in the transit area.
Drugs Found In False Cavity
According to sources, passenger Raseem Kondengadan, a resident of Malappuram, was intercepted on the basis of specific intelligence after he arrived at Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International (CSMI) Airport, Mumbai, from Bangkok on Thursday. Thereafter, a search of the baggage carried by the passenger was conducted after it was provided to him by the airline staff in the transit area.
His trolley bag was found to contain six sealed packets concealed in a false cavity. After the packets were cut open, they were found to contain the fruiting and flowering tops of a plant purported to be hydroponic weed (cannabis), a substance covered under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act.
The officers then weighed the recovered fruiting and flowering tops of the plant purported to be hydroponic weed (cannabis), resulting in the recovery of a total net weight of 3,018 grams of cannabis valued at Rs 1.05 crore.
Kondengadan was served with a summons and his statement was recorded, wherein he admitted that he was aware that smuggling ganja attracts stringent punishment. However, he stated that he was getting a handsome amount of quick and easy money in lieu of smuggling.
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Probe Into Wider Network
"The preliminary investigation carried out so far in accordance with the law and the statement given by the accused disclose the involvement of other persons who are yet to be traced. The investigation in the case is at a very preliminary stage, and efforts are also being made to identify and apprehend key associates of the accused," said a Customs officer.
Advocate Prabhakar Tripathi appeared for Kondengadan in court, following which he was remanded to judicial custody.
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