American woman detained at Amritsar airport with live cartridges

An American woman was arrested at the airport here after 25 live cartridges were allegedly recovered from her baggage during checking, police said.

The woman identified as Manjita Kaur Dhillon (52), whose grandparents hailed from Punjab, was arrested at Guru Ram Das International Airport (Rajasansi Airport) here when she was preparing to board a Jet Airways flight to Delhi, they said.

Confirming the arrest of the woman, Airport police station in charge Mohan Singh said that Kaur was nabbed after 25 live imported cartridges were recovered from her language during frisking by the Immigration Authority at the Airport. Singh said the American Embassy had been informed about the development.

"Such cartridges were rarely available in India," he added. He said on being questioned about the recovery of live cartridges in her luggage, the woman expressed ignorance.

"Investigation is under progress as to how cartridges were smuggled inside the Airport..," he said. Singh said the woman was handed over to Central Industrial Security Force looking after the Airport security.

The CISF later handed her over to Punjab police. Singh also said that the woman passenger was repeatedly asked to produce any legal documents or weapon license but she insisted that the bullets did not belong to her and she had no knowledge as to how the bullets made her way into her luggage.

He said that Kaur, against whom a case would be slapped under the provisions of the Arms Act besides under other provisions of the law, had come to Amritsar from Chandigarh via Nawanshehr to board Jet Airways flight for Delhi.