New Delhi: Five Afghanistan nationals have been arrested at the Delhi airport for allegedly ingesting 370 heroin capsules worth Rs 15 crore to smuggle into India. They were carrying the banned substance from Kandahar, officials said.
The alleged smugglers, who arrived at Terminal-3 of the airport from Kandahar via Kabul on Saturday, were intercepted in a joint operation of multiple agencies.
They were taken into custody and produced before a magistrate. They were later admitted to Dr Ram Manohar Lohia hospital.
The accused were in hospital between September 14-18. They ejected 370 capsules in that period, officials said.
The capsules were found to contain a white powder which turned out to be heroin in initial testing, officials added.
The estimated international market value of the banned substance is over Rs 15 crore, they said.
"Ingestion of capsules containing narcotics is a dangerous and rarely used modus operandi, typically employed for smuggling high purity/high value drugs," Deputy Commissioner of Customs, Kalrav Rakesh Mishra told PTI.
The capsules have been seized and the five passengers have been arrested under relevant provisions of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act.
