SL woman held at Bangalore airport for drug smuggling

The officials of the Air Intelligence and Customs at Kempegowda International Airport (KIA) in Bangalore arrested a 39-year-old Sri Lankan woman, who was smuggling contraband drugs to Colombo, last week.

The officials said that Fathima Azeeka Junaideen was found carrying 1.640 grams of amphetamine and hashish, worth Rs 64 lakh, concealed in pesticide packets. She claimed that she runs a beauty parlour in Colombo and would visit Chennai frequently for purchasing beauty products.

Further enquiry revealed that Fathima’s husband had asked her to hand over sachets of pesticides with the brand name “Barrix Control” to a person at Colombo airport. Based on a tip-off by intelligence officials, she was arrested at Kempegowda International Airport when she was flying to Colombo from Chennai via Bengaluru.

Fathima used to rent a room in Chennai whenever she came to India and stayed there till she received the “pesticide sachets” to be carried to Colombo, on the instruction of her husband.

The Customs officials suspect that the woman was being used for smuggling the drugs. She was produced before a magistrate and was remanded in judicial custody. (Deccan Herald)