75-Year-Old Indian Bachelor Caught Smuggling Dru.gs From Malawi – Claims He Was Framed After $10 Million Lottery Promise
A 75-year-old man lodged in Taloja jail for 70 days now after he was nabbed at the Mumbai international airport, carrying d.r.u.g.s worth Rs 37 crore, could end up spending the rest of his life in prison as the seizure of over 250 grams of heroin falls under commercial quantity category and is punishable by 20 years of imprisonment under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act.
While the septuagenarian has been claiming innocence, sources in the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) told that the accused DS Dube claims that he has been framed and fell into a trap laid by international miscreants.
According to Dube, it was his misfortune that he said “Yes” to an email promising him a jackpot of $10.5 million (around Rs 82 crore) and was taken to Malawi in south-east Africa to complete the “formalities” related to his “prize”. When he was returning, he was allegedly handed over a bag that contained h€roin worth Rs 37 crore to be handed over to a “friend”. Dube claims that he was framed and did not check the bag.
An orphan and bachelor from West Godavari district in Andhra Pradesh, Dube often looked for online jobs due to his advanced age. During a job search in February, he received an email declaring that he had been chosen as the winner of a grand prize of $10.5 million. Dube initially dismissed the email as fraud but said that he was persistently contacted via email by Edvard Hics, who claimed to be a representative of the lottery company.
According to a DRI source, Dube claimed that he finally gave in as he was facing an acute financial crisis. The senior citizen was informed that he would need to travel to Malawi for “paperwork and other formalities” before he could claim the prize money.
When Dube informed Hics that he could not afford to pay for international travel, Hics reassured him that his financier friend “Dr Holeman” would arrange for Hyderabad-Mumbai-Malawi air tickets and his hotel accommodation in Malawi, the source said.
An excited Dube travelled to Malawi via Addis Ababa on March 6 by Ethiopian Airlines flight ET877. At the hotel, he met Dr Holeman’s assistant “Jack”, who got his signatures on “lottery documents”. After completing the “formalities and the paperwork”, Dube was informed that the prize money would be deposited into his Indian bank account through electronic transfer. Dube was also handed $200 (approximately Rs 15,000) for miscellaneous expenses on his return journey.
A DRI source added, “Just as Dube was leaving the hotel, Jack turned up and gave him a bag, requesting him to hand it over to a friend of Dr Holeman in India. Dube agreed to take the bag with him.”
On his return to India, Dube was intercepted by the DRI on a tip-off at the Mumbai international airport. The bag he was carrying had 4.9 kilograms of heroin, estimated to be worth Rs 37 crore in the international market.
“He was placed under arrest under relevant sections of the NDPS Act for carrying a commercial quantity of heroin,” an officer said.
According to sources, Dube claimed during interrogation that he was not aware that the bag contained drugs. The investigation so far indicates that he might not have been aware of the presence of narcotics in the bag Jack had given him.
Advocates Taraq Sayed, Ashwini Achari and Advait Tamhankar, Dube’s lawyers who are representing him pro bono, said, “He is not a drug trafficker but a victim. Dube is unemployed and poor. He has been made a scapegoat by the drug syndicate that took advantage of his vulnerable situation.”
The DRI also arrested Nigerian national Chidiebere Nawchara and Nagaland resident Hekatoli Sumi for their involvement in the case. Sumi was supposed to collect the bag from Dube on behalf of Chidiebere. The DRI has also retrieved WhatsApp chats between Sumi and Chidiebere.
Advocate Sayed said, “This is a classic case of non-conscious possession, which is evident from the voluntary statement of the applicant (Dube) recorded under Section 67 of NDPS Act, 1985.”
Advocate Achari added, “In his entire statement, not even once has Dube admitted to or even suggested that he was aware of or intended to carry the contraband. Instead, he was fraudulently deceived into carrying the bag.”
A DRI officer said, “For us, Dube is an accused in a drug smuggling case. It would be unfair to jump to any conclusion this early in the case. A huge commercial quantity has been seized from the accused’s possession. We cannot give a clean chit to him at this stage. Our investigation is still on. People are still wanted in connection with the case.”
Dube’s lawyers filed a bail application at the sessions court on April 25. However, the agency opposed his bail plea. His lawyers said that Dube fears if he would ever see the outside world again.
Indian Express
