Hydroponic marijuana worth ₹4 crore seized from Bangkok flier’s baggage at Ahmedabad airport

In yet another major seizure at Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport, the Customs Department on Tuesday recovered four kilograms of hydroponic marijuana, valued at over ₹4 crore in the international market, from the baggage of a passenger who had arrived from Bangkok on an Air Asia flight earlier this month.

Officials said the accused, identified as Niteshwari Ratanlal Gill, a resident of Jalandhar in Punjab, had landed in Ahmedabad on August 13. On arrival, she reported two missing bags and exited the airport after filing a mishandled baggage claim. A few days later, one of her bags arrived and was cleared after routine checks. However, when her second trolley bag reached Ahmedabad, Customs officials—acting on suspicion—opened it in the presence of panch witnesses and discovered 10 packets of cannabis concealed inside layers of tape and clothing.

The consignment was packed in high-quality wrappers commonly used in international drug smuggling networks, officials added.

Suspicion deepens after evasion

Customs officers, led by Additional Commissioner Ram Bishnoi, contacted the passenger through Air Asia staff to collect her baggage. Gill, however, refused to appear in person, claiming she was in Jalandhar, and instead authorised one Simon Peter, also from Jalandhar, to collect the bag on her behalf. When he declined, investigators grew suspicious and roped in the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) and the CID Crime Branch.

Acting on intelligence that Gill had not returned to Punjab and was still in Ahmedabad, officers tracked her down at Kalupur railway station, allegedly waiting for news of her baggage. She was detained and brought to the airport, where the bag was formally opened in her presence and the narcotics seizure recorded.

Case handed to CID Crime

Gill was arrested under provisions of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act and handed over to the CID Crime’s Narcotics Cell for further investigation. Officials said initial reluctance to arrest her stemmed from the absence of drugs on her person, but the seizure from her checked-in baggage was sufficient to establish criminal liability.

The case comes amid heightened security in Ahmedabad due to the Prime Minister’s visit, with enforcement agencies on alert against any suspicious activity.

A senior officer said, “The fact that the accused avoided appearing before Customs raised red flags. Her detention and the seizure underline the increasing use of international passenger baggage to traffic narcotics into India.”