Mumbai customs seize ganja worth Rs 59.60 lakh at airport

Representational image. Pic/iStock

On Sunday, Mumbai Customs confiscated 596 g of suspected ganja valued at approximately Rs 59.60 lakh from Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport, according to officials. According to Mumbai Customs, the contraband was concealed inside food packages that were placed inside a trolley bag carried by a passenger arriving from Bangkok, Thailand, reported ANI.

According to the ANI report, Customs officials said, "The Air Intelligence Unit (AIU) officers at Mumbai Airport intercepted and seized a significant quantity of contraband on October 12. The operation led to the confiscation of 596 grams of suspected Ganja (Marijuana) with an estimated provisional value of Rs 59.60 lakh."

The officials added that a probe into the matter was underway.

Earlier this month, Mumbai Customs had arrested two passengers and seized gold, and foreign currency worth lakhs at the city airport, the news agency report stated and added that the officials had confiscated 1.165 kg of gold worth Rs 84 lakhs and foreign currency worth Rs 63.98 lakh.

The incident happened on the intervening night of October 4 and 5. The officials further told the news agency that the gold was concealed on the accused's body.

Air India Mumbai-New York flight diverted to Delhi after bomb threat

Meanwhile, in another incident on Monday, an Air India flight operating from Mumbai to New York was diverted to Delhi, following a security concern arising out of a bomb threat.

ANI stated its sources saying that the airport received a bomb threat via X (formerly Twitter) regarding a bomb threat on the New York-bound flight. The message was conveyed to security officials in Delhi, and the decision was made to reroute the aircraft to the capital city.

The Delhi Police officials told the media that the aircraft was currently stationed at the Indira Gandhi International Airport and all standard safety protocols are being followed to ensure the safety of passengers and crew aboard the flight and that all security agencies are on alert.

"We request your cooperation and refrain from spreading unverified information. Further updates will be shared in due course," ANI quoted a senior police officer at Delhi airport saying.

The Air India Spokesperson released a statement, saying "Flight AI119 operating Mumbai to JFK on October 14 received a specific security alert and on instructions of the government's security regulatory committee was diverted to Delhi. All passengers have disembarked and are at the Delhi airport terminal. Our colleagues on the ground are making sure to minimise the inconvenience caused to our guests by this unexpected disruption. Air India is committed to and accords top priority to the safety and security of its passengers and crew."

Multiple airports have been the target of hoax bomb threats this year. On October 5, two Indian airports received hoax threats via e-mail. Devi Ahilya Bai Holkar International Airport in MP's Indore and Vadodara Airport both received bomb threat via mails following which authorities launched a probe into the matter.