March 25, 2009 3:31:55 am
A 42-year-old woman from Vejalpur in Godhra was arrested for smuggling betel leaf to Pakistan and bringing in leather goods,including woollens,to the country in the period from 2005 and 2007. Memuna Siddique Mohan who has also been found in the possession of fake passports has said in her statement to the Panchmahals Special Operations Group that she visited Pakistan four times on the sly between 2005 and 2007.
According to SOG Police Inspector H B Vala,Memuna gave this statement to the police during interrogation after she was taken on a two-day police remand on Monday. “She has said that betel leaf is very popular in Karachi but not easily available there,while on the other hand,woollens from Pakistan are much in demand in Godhra. She also said that she smuggled in goods on the pretext of visiting her relatives in Karachi,which had a large population of people who had migrated from Godhra. She also accepted that she earned huge profits from these visits.
The SOG raided her residence on Sunday after an anonymous caller informed that Memuna had been making unauthorised trips to Pakistan with the help of fake passports.
We have also recovered two additional passports,which were cancelled by the Passport Office,from her house in Vejalpur on Monday, Vala added.
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Police officials ruled out any terror angle to her arrest,although they are expecting that the court would extend her remand.
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