Chennai-based man among two held for smuggling drugs using morphed Aadhaar cards

Two people, including a Chennai-based drug smuggler, who allegedly used morphed Aadhaar cards to smuggle contraband have been arrested by Customs officials.

The authorities warned public not to share their personal documents to unscrupulous elements which may be misused.

According to a statement issued by the Customs officials on Saturday, the officers of Customs Intelligence Unit (CIU) and Special Intelligence and Investigation Branch (SIIB), Bengaluru Airport and Air Cargo Commissionerate received an intelligence input on April 29.

Based on it, they intercepted a consignment at the International Courier Terminal in Bengaluru that was to be exported to Australia.

The examination of the consignment revealed pouches of a white crystalline substance concealed within readymade garments.

Upon testing, officials found that it was ephedrine, weighing 4.496 kg, and having a market price of about Rs 89.92 lakh. The drug was seized under the provisions of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act, the statement said.

The exporter was arrested and produced before a special NDPS court, which remanded him to judicial custody.

The investigation also led to the Chennai-based smuggler, who used to book such shipments for exports, using morphed Aadhar cards to avoid getting caught.

In the follow-up action, officers of Andhra Pradesh Police arrested the Chennai-based person who had morphed the Aadhar card of an individual from Guntur with his own photograph and had approached a courier agency in Vijayawada to export the above-mentioned shipment.

He was remanded to judicial custody for various offenses under the Indian Penal Code, the Customs officials said.

''It was observed that certain unscrupulous individuals had morphed the Aadhar card of unsuspecting individuals and have used the same to export-prohibited, contraband substances,'' the statement said.

The couriers and their agencies should also ensure stricter checks at all their outlets to detect such instances, it added.

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)