A model arriving in India from abroad was searched over suspicious movements, leading to the seizure of a large quantity of banned drugs. A former beauty pageant contestant from Kerala has been arrested in connection with the incident.
The arrested woman is 28-year-old Harsha Sunny. She had participated in the ‘Mrs Kerala’ beauty pageant held in 2025. Harsha arrived at Mumbai’s Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport on the night of June 10-11 aboard an Air India flight from Bangkok, Thailand.
According to reports, the Customs Department’s Air Intelligence Unit detained her at the airport based on suspicion and checked her baggage. During the search, 12 vacuum-sealed packets were recovered from her trolley bag.
Upon opening and examining the packets, officials recovered hydroponic cannabis, also known as hydroponic ganja. The Customs Department stated that preliminary tests confirmed the substance to be a banned drug.
Authorities said the seized drugs have an estimated market value of around ₹12 crore. The seizure of such a large quantity of drugs has also caused a stir among airport security agencies.
Meanwhile, during interrogation, Harsha claimed that an unknown person had temporarily handed her the bag during the journey and left. However, investigating officers are not convinced by this explanation. The Customs Department also suspects the story was fabricated as a defense.
Following the incident, Harsha was arrested under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act. She was later produced in court, which remanded her to judicial custody.
It is noteworthy that the Customs Department is also investigating whether any international drug trafficking syndicate is involved in the case. Investigating agencies are also examining whether a major drug trafficking network from Thailand to India is active.
