A foreign female national was caught by officials of the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) and Customs in Pune with a total of 3.815 kg of crystal meth worth ₹7.63 crore while travelling by bus from Delhi to Bengaluru, officials said on Thursday.
According to the officials, specific intelligence received by the DRI in Pune indicated that a foreign female national would be travelling by bus from Delhi to Bengaluru, carrying psychotropic substances concealed in her luggage.
Acting on this input, officers of DRI Pune, along with officers of Pune Customs, mounted surveillance along the Mumbai–Bengaluru Highway and intercepted the suspect passenger in transit.
An initial search of the passenger and her baggage did not reveal anything. However, officers then rummaged through the bus, which led to the identification of a second bag that she had hidden at the back of the vehicle.
A thorough search of the second bag revealed six salwar suits, each folded with paper cardboards specially designed to create cavities lined with polythene containing a white, crystal-like substance.
“Field testing confirmed the presence of amphetamine. The recovered 3.815 kg of crystal meth, with an illicit market value of ₹7.63 crore, was seized, and the accused was arrested under the provisions of the NDPS Act, 1985,” an official said.
Further investigation is in progress.
