75 cocaine tablets found from body of Bolivian man who died at IGI airport

NEWDELHI: Doctors found 75 capsules containing cocaine from the body of a 49-year-old Bolivian national who had died late last month in the custody of customs officers at the Indira Gandhi International airport in Delhi. The Bolivian national had died while he was being detained and probed on suspicion of drug smuggling.

The Delhi police probing the case said on Thursday that surgeons had recovered 75 capsules of cocaine from inside the body of Salomon Edgar Vaca Arambal. On April 27, Arambal was detained by the IGI airport customs officials on suspicion of smuggling drugs.

Deputy commissioner of police (IGI), Sanjay Bhatia said that on Thursday, the autopsy was conducted after receiving authorisation from Bolivian Embassy. During the autopsy 75 capsules containing cocaine, weighing 519 grams, were recovered by the autopsy surgeon. “Viscera of the deceased has been preserved and postmortem report is awaited. A case has been registered at IGI police station and we are investigating the case” Bhatia said.

On April 27, Arambal, who had landed at the Delhi airport, was detained by customs officers.

“On the same day, the Arambal was produced before a court to seek permission of a medical test to ascertain any concealed material in the body. After that, he was taken to Ram Manohar Lohiya hospital and examined. X-rays of abdomen and chest were done. The doctors at Ram Manohar Lohiya Hospital had opined that there were no fresh external injuries and nothing abnormal after reports of the chest X-ray,” he said.

The officer said that after the medical examination, Arambal was being brought back to Terminal-iii of the IGI airport when he complained of uneasiness and was rushed to Medanta Hospital inside the airport. At the hospital, doctors declared him dead at 10.11pm. Police had then informed the Bolivian embassy about the incident. Police said they would inform the Embassy of Bolivia about the finding.