Pincahao Khronvipa alias Pinkae, 34, who was to take a Malaysian Airlines flight, checked in without a hitch. The security at the GMR Rajiv Gandhi International Airport failed to detect the drug concealed in her baggage. Pincahao, who senior police officials said was a prostitute working as carrier for a suspected Nigerian national, was stopped just before she boarded the flight.
The directorate of revenue intelligence (DRI) additional director-general, Dr P. Babu, said the woman was arrested on an intelligence alert.
He said Pincahao had come to India from Bangkok and stayed at Delhi. She flew into Hyderabad from Delhi at 8 30 pm on Friday and stayed at the airport overnight. Pincahao, who was about to board Malaysian Air lines flight MH 199 at 1 am on Saturday, had concealed the drug in a false cavity in her suitcase. The police said an African national had given her the consignment and she was to be paid between $2,000 and $3,000 to carry it to Kaula Lumpur.
A case was booked against Pincahao under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Sub stances Act. The accused was produced before the Metropolitan Sessions Judge in Ranga Reddy district.
Police officials, who suspect the involvement of the international drug mafia in the incident, said narcotic cartels could be using Hyderabad as a transit point due to lax security at the airport. “This was Pincahao’s first visit to the country. Her passport shows that she regularly visited several Gulf countries and Singapore and Malaysia,” a senior police official said.
“She could have been used as a carrier by a major drug cartel,” he added. “We can’t rule out the involvement of the international drug mafia.” Other police officials said the incident raised questions about security at the new airport.
“Check-in baggage is supposed to be screened by GMR personnel. However the heroin got past the security checks and she would have boarded the flight had DRI officials not arrested her,” said one police official.
In a similar incident last week, DRI men arrested a Filipino carrying 2.7 kg of heroin worth Rs 2.7 crore at the Chennai International Airport.
“The modus operandi in the Hyderabad and Chennai incidents are almost identical,” a police official said.