A 52-year-old Indian national has been arrested at Nepal’s Tribhuvan International Airport for allegedly possessing contraband drugs worth Nepalese Rupees 220 million ($145,728 approx.), according to a local media report on Sunday.
Rewaraj Tighare, a resident of Pune, Maharashtra, arrived in Kathmandu from Thailand on Saturday and was detained after narcotics officers searched his luggage following passenger profiling, The Himalayan Times newspaper reported.
Over 5 kgs of heroin concealed in packets of rabbit and cat food was recovered from him, police said, adding that his passport and mobile phone were also seized.
According to the daily, preliminary investigations revealed that he had previously travelled to Nepal from Laos on two occasions, prompting investigators to examine whether those visits were linked to drug trafficking.
Further investigation into the case is underway.