Police arrest couple for smuggling Rs18 crore worth hydroponic ganja
Bengaluru (PTI): Bengaluru police on Thursday said they have arrested a couple that allegedly worked as mules for an international drug syndicate, for smuggling over 18 kg of hydroponic ganja worth Rs 18.60 crore into the city.
They had allegedly brought the drugs from Thailand into the city, by evading authorities including those from the Customs, at the airport, by concealing the ganja in food packets in a bag, official sources said.
The couple, a 34-year-old man and a 26-year-old woman, on November 30, were arrested by the Mahalakshmi Layout police, based on a tip off they received about large quantities of narcotic substance being carried, supposedly to deliver them to the local contact.
According to police, the couple, which travelled from Bangkok reportedly on a tourist visa, had no criminal records, which may be one of the reasons for choosing them as mules.
The police have registered a case under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act and two mobiles have been seized from the accused.
The court has remanded the couple to police custody for 10 days.
Police are also likely to look into how the couple managed to evade airport and customs authorities.
Further investigation is underway, and information is being gathered about other suspects possibly involved in the case, officials said.
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Rupee falls 9 paise to all-time low of 90.58 against US dollar in early trade
Mumbai (PTI): Rupee depreciated 9 paise to an all-time low of 90.58 against US dollar in early trade on Monday, weighed down by uncertainty over an India-US trade deal and persistent foreign fund outflows.
Forex traders said rupee is trading with a negative bias as investors are in wait and watch mode and awaiting cues from the India-US trade deal front.
At the interbank foreign exchange market, the rupee opened at 90.53 against the US dollar, then fell further to an all-time intraday low of 90.58 against the greenback, registering a fall of 9 paise over its previous close.
On Friday, the rupee had slipped 17 paise to close at an all-time low of 90.49 against the American currency.
Meanwhile, the dollar index, which gauges the greenback's strength against a basket of six currencies, was trading 0.05 per cent lower at 98.35.
Brent crude, the global oil benchmark, was trading higher by 0.52 per cent at USD 61.44 per barrel in futures trade.
On the domestic equity market front, the 30-share benchmark index Sensex was trading 298.86 points lower at 84,968.80, while the Nifty was down 121.40 points at 25,925.55.
Foreign Institutional Investors sold equities worth Rs 1,114.22 crore on Friday, according to exchange data.
"FPIs continue to be in selling mode in equity and debt while RBI has been selling dollars to fund their long positions," said Anil Kumar Bhansali, Head of Treasury and Executive Director Finrex Treasury Advisors LLP.
