Mundra port heroin case: NIA court rejects woman's bail plea

Special Court of the National Investigation Agency (NIA) led by Justice Shubhada Bakshi rejected the bail plea of a woman who was arrested on suspicion of involvement in the import of 2,988.2 kg of heroin. The court said that granting bail to the woman will hamper the investigation.

Ahmedabad: A Special Court of the National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Tuesday rejected the regular bail plea of ​​a woman arrested in the Mundra port heroin case in Gujarat. The woman, G Durga Purna Vaishali and her husband, M Sudhakar were arrested by the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) in September this year from Mundra port in Gujarat's Kutch district.

Both the accused were arrested under the allegations of being involved in the import of 2988.2 kg of heroin. The court of Special Judge Shubhada Bakshi found prima facie that the woman, who is also the co-owner of Chennai-based Aashi Trading Company, was involved in the case.

The court said that Vaishali was found to be involved in the import of heroin worth around Rs 21,000 crore and therefore granting bail would hamper the process of further investigation in the case.

Opposing Vaishali's bail plea, NIA Special Public Prosecutor Amit Nair told the court that the agency was also probing another consignment of narcotics which was similarly brought to India.

In the single largest heroin haul in the country, the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) on September 15 seized Rs 21,000 crore worth of Afghan-origin heroin from two containers shipped from Bandar Abbas Port in Iran to the port in Kutch district.

Both Vaishali and her husband were found to be actively involved in the illegal import.