Flyer lands at Bengaluru airport with 4kg cocaine hidden in comic books
Acting on specific intelligence, officials from the DRI-Bengaluru zonal unit intercepted the passenger at Kempegowda International Airport (KIA). On inspecting his baggage, officers found two comics that appeared unusually heavy. Further examination revealed white powder hidden in the covers, which tested positive for cocaine.
The total quantity seized was 4,006 grams. The passenger, produced before a court, was remanded in judicial custody.
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The DRI has booked a case under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act. Officials said smugglers are increasingly using creative methods, such as modifying books or household items, to conceal drugs while passing through airport checks.
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The order came 10 days after NIA, unlike its previous stance, strongly objected to the discharge pleas. Dubbing it as an "ulta face," the judge said, "At the time of first hearing of the matter, the prosecution has canvassed they have nothing to say except the reply filed by NIA upon the discharge applications," the judge said. During its reply to the discharge plea in Aug 2013, NIA did not oppose the pleas and instead said its evidence "was not in consonance with evidence collected earlier by ATS and CBI," which recommended prosecution of the nine accused. Judicial lens focused on ATS methods & conclusions in other cases too Mumbai: The 11/7 train blasts case is not the first time the Anti-Terrorism Squad's (ATS) methods and conclusions have faced judicial scrutiny. In 2016, a special National Investigation Agency (NIA) court discharged eight Muslim men who were labelled "terror accused" by ATS in the 2006 Malegaon serial blasts case. 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Time of India
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