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An Andhra Woman Tried To Smuggle 100 Kg Of Marijuana For A Good Cause

A crime is a crime.
An Indian holy woman smokes marijuana on the eve of the traditional Kharchi Puja festival at Agartala.
AFP/Getty Images
An Indian holy woman smokes marijuana on the eve of the traditional Kharchi Puja festival at Agartala.

Good intentions cannot justify a crime, ever. Muthem Babitha learnt this bitter lesson after being arrested for smuggling drugs in Andhra Pradesh recently.

25-year-old Babitha and her two accomplices, cousin Sunil Kumar (20) and Bidyasagar Singh (25), were held by the Secunderabad Police on Saturday with 100 kg of marijuana worth about Rs 15 lakh, reported The Deccan Chronicle. A case has been registered under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act against the three accused.

Despite the ambitiousness of their undertaking, they're not seasoned smugglers. In fact, it was their first assignment. Three years ago, Babitha had fallen on hard times when her husband Ganesh left her for another woman after less than a month of marriage. A Bachelor's of Education (BEd) degree holder, Babitha was hoping to get a government job as a teacher. She wanted to appear for the District Selection Committee entrance exam but did not have enough money to get private tuitions to prepare for it. She confessed she agreed to smuggle the drugs to make a quick buck for her training, reported The News Minute.

The trio were offered Rs 5,000 each to deliver the drug from Visakhapatnam in Andhra Pradesh to Solapur in Maharashtra, reported The Hindu. According to the DC report, the amateur 'gang' packed the marijuana in packets of 15-20 kg, wrapped them with tape and hid them in luggage trolleys. They were then covered with camphor and incense to camouflage the odour. They boarded the LTT express from Visakhapatnam, but were nabbed by the police when the train reached the Secunderabad station on Saturday morning.

The plan was that the smugglers would take pictures of the trio and send them to their agents in Solapur through mobile phones, who would then identify them at the railway station, collect the marijuana, pay them their fee, and give them return tickets, Secunderabad Railway Deputy Superintendent of Police SR Prasad told The Hindu.

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This article exists as part of the online archive for HuffPost India, which closed in 2020. Some features are no longer enabled. If you have questions or concerns about this article, please contact indiasupport@huffpost.com.