Kenyan national held at Bengaluru airport for possession of cocaine worth Rs 30 cr
Bengaluru: A Kenyan national was arrested at the international airport here after she was allegedly found in possession of cocaine worth Rs 30 crore, officials said on Saturday.
The arrest was made based on specific intelligence received by the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) of Bengaluru zonal unit, they said.
According to officials, the Kenyan national who travelled from Doha to Bengaluru on Friday by an Indigo flight was intercepted at Bengaluru airport by officers of DRI after elaborate surveillance.
On detailed examination of the passenger's baggage, packets containing off-white coloured powdered substance, weighing three kgs valued at 30 crore were found to be concealed in the false bottom of the check-in luggage, a senior official said.
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"The powdered substance, was tested positive for Cocaine as per field testing kit. The passenger was arrested under the provisions of NDPS (Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances) Act, 1985. Further investigation is under progress," he said.
In another incident, sleuths of DRI intercepted two Indian lady passengers at Bengaluru International Airport coming from Bangkok, on July 5, who were suspected to be carrying contraband items.
On systematic search of their bags, they were found to contain silver coloured packets. A greenish substance in lumpy form was recovered from all the packets was found to be hydronic weed, he said.
The packets weighing 3.2 kg , valued at Rs 3 crore have been seized and the passengers were arrested and remanded to judicial custody, under the provisions of the NDPS Act," the official added.
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Karnataka CM Siddaramaiah accuses EC of ‘bias’, defends state guarantee schemes ahead of bypolls
Bengaluru (PTI): Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah has accused the EC of "double standards" and "bias" after it sought details on the state’s guarantee schemes in Davanagere and Bagalkot districts, where bypolls are scheduled for Thursday.
In a post on 'X' on Wednesday, Siddaramaiah said the Election Commission of India had asked the Karnataka government for information on fund releases under five ongoing guarantee schemes in the constituencies going to polls.
The polls were necessitated following the deaths of senior Congress MLAs Shamanur Shivashankarappa and H Y Meti, respectively.
The schemes are Gruha Jyothi, which provides 200 units of free electricity to every household; Gruha Lakshmi, offering Rs 2,000 to women heading families; and Anna Bhagya, supplying 10 kg of rice per month to each member of BPL families.
In addition, Yuva Nidhi grants Rs 3,000 to unemployed graduates and Rs 1,500 to unemployed diploma holders aged 18–25 for two years, while Shakti enables women to travel free of charge within Karnataka on government non-luxury buses.
Siddaramaiah alleged that the ECI had remained silent when similar cash transfer schemes were announced in Maharashtra and Bihar ahead of elections, calling the scrutiny of Karnataka’s schemes a "clear case of bias".
"In states like Maharashtra and Bihar, cash transfer schemes were announced or fast-tracked just before elections, directly benefiting voters. Yet the ECI remained silent. This is not neutrality—it is complicity," he said.
The CM accused the BJP and NDA governments of "a double standard", noting that when they act, the ECI "looks the other way", but when Karnataka fulfils its promises, it faces "intense scrutiny".
He added that targeting the state’s guarantee schemes is "not just political but anti-poor, anti-women, and anti-Karnataka."
Siddaramaiah clarified that these schemes were not launched in connection with the bypolls but are ongoing programmes implemented as part of the Congress government’s commitments from the 2023 Assembly elections.
Funds are transferred regularly to beneficiaries in a transparent and structured manner, he added.
"The guarantees are part of governance—a direct investment in human dignity, household stability, and economic participation, not inducement," he said.
He also accused the BJP of "hypocrisy", saying that while it criticises Karnataka’s schemes as "freebies", it rolls out similar programmes in states it governs.
"The Karnataka model has set a benchmark for the country. What is deeply concerning, however, is the ECI’s selective approach," Siddaramaiah added.
