New Delhi, Oct 21: Customs officials have seized over Rs 15 crore worth hydrophobic weed from a woman passenger at Indira Gandhi International (IGI) airport here, the department said on Monday.
On the basis of specific information, baggage of an international transit lady passenger travelling from Bangkok to Paris via Delhi by different flights on Sunday was brought to the customs scanning machine. Upon scanning the checked in bag, the officers "noticed/detected some narcotic substance".
"Thereafter, the on duty dog of Customs K9 squad was called for sniffing the baggage. The duty dog indicated the presence of narcotics substance. The bags were opened in presence of the said passenger as per the procedure, wherein 15.046 kg of greenish brown substance appearing to be hydrophobic weed was recovered from the baggage. The recovered goods have been seized under NDPS Act, 1985," the customs department said in a post on X.
The passenger has been detained for further questioning and investigation is in process, it said, adding that the value of the seized substance is Rs 15.04 crore.
Customs, IGI Airport, New Delhi
— Delhi Customs (Airport & General) (@AirportGenCus) October 21, 2024
Date: 20.10.2024
Seizure: 15.04 kg of Hydroponic Weed
Value: ₹15.04 Crores
On the basis of specific information, baggage of one international transit lady pax travelling from Bangkok to Paris via Delhi by flight AI-333 & AI143 on 20.10.2024 was… pic.twitter.com/78rC2iy61D
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Mumbai, Nov 25: Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Sanjay Raut on Monday demanded a re-election in Maharashtra using ballot papers, claiming there were irregularities with the electronic voting machines (EVMs).
Talking to reporters, Raut alleged several complaints about EVMs malfunctioning and questioned the integrity of the recently held elections.
The BJP-led Mahayuti won 230 out of 288 seats in the assembly elections, while the opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi managed 46 seats, with Shiv Sena (UBT) winning just 20 out of 95 seats it contested.
"We have received nearly 450 complaints regarding EVMs. Despite raising objections repeatedly, no action has been taken on these issues. How can we say these elections were conducted fairly? Hence, I demand that the results be set aside and elections be held again using ballot papers," Raut said.
Citing some instances, he said a candidate in Nashik reportedly received only four votes despite having 65 votes from his family, while in Dombivli, discrepancies were found in EVM tallies, and election officials refused to acknowledge the objections.
The Sena (UBT) leader also questioned the credibility of the landslide victories of some candidates, saying, "What revolutionary work have they done to receive more than 1.5 lakh votes? Even leaders who recently switched parties have become MLAs. This raises suspicions. For the first time, a senior leader like Sharad Pawar has expressed doubts about EVMs, which cannot be ignored."
Asked about the MVA's poor performance in the elections, Raut rejected the idea of blaming a single individual.
"We fought as a united MVA. Even a leader like Sharad Pawar, who commands immense respect in Maharashtra, faced defeat. This shows that we need to analyse the reasons behind the failure. One of the reasons is EVM irregularities and the misuse of the system, unconstitutional practices, and even judicial decisions left unresolved by Justice Chandrachud," he said.
Raut stressed that though internal differences might have existed within the MVA, the failure was collective.
He also accused the Mahayuti of conducting the elections in an unfair manner.
"I cannot call the elections fair given the numerous reports of discrepancies in EVMs, mismatched numbers, and vote irregularities across the state," Raut said.