Mumbai, June 12: In a major anti-narcotics operation, the Customs Department has arrested a 28-year-old woman at Mumbai’s Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport for allegedly attempting to smuggle a large quantity of hydroponic weed into the country. The seized contraband, weighing more than 11 kg, is estimated to be worth Rs 11.82 crore in the international market.

According to Customs officials, the woman arrived in Mumbai on a flight from Bangkok and came under suspicion during routine surveillance and passenger profiling. A detailed examination of her luggage led to the recovery of 12 vacuum-sealed transparent plastic packets concealed inside her trolley bag.

The packets were found to contain hydroponic weed, a high-grade form of cannabis. Officials said a total of 11.824 kg of the narcotic substance was seized during the operation. The accused, who reportedly worked as a relationship manager at a private company, was taken into custody following the recovery.

A case has been registered against her under the provisions of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act. She was subsequently produced before a court, which remanded her to judicial custody.

The seizure is part of a series of recent operations by Customs authorities aimed at curbing international drug trafficking through Indian airports.

Earlier, on June 8, customs officials at Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International (IGI) Airport had foiled a major narcotics smuggling attempt by seizing 15.38 kg of suspected hydroponic weed concealed inside two geysers. Acting on specific intelligence inputs and passenger profiling, officers intercepted two passengers who had arrived from Kuala Lumpur on Flight D7-182. The passengers were stopped after crossing the Green Channel, and a detailed inspection led to the recovery of the contraband.

In another significant case on May 23, Customs officials at IGI Airport had intercepted two Thai nationals arriving from Bangkok on flight AI-2356 after they crossed the Customs Green Channel. Based on profiling inputs and suspicious travel patterns, officers carried out a detailed examination of their baggage.

The inspection resulted in the recovery of six vacuum-sealed packets suspected to contain hydroponic weed. Of the total seizure, approximately 29 kg was recovered from one passenger’s baggage, while around 19 kg was recovered from the second passenger.

New Delhi, June 12: In a major crackdown on motor vehicle theft and habitual offenders, Delhi Police have arrested six accused persons and recovered 15 stolen two-wheelers in a series of coordinated operations carried out across multiple police stations.

According to an official press release, the operations were conducted by teams of Delhi Police West District, including Police Station Tilak Nagar, AATS/West District, PS Mayapuri and PP Madipur/PS Punjabi Bagh. The drive also led to the resolution of 11 motor vehicle theft cases and recovery of one illegal weapon.

“West District Police cracks down on auto-lifters & habitual property offenders; 06 accused arrested, 15 stolen two-wheelers recovered, 11 cases worked out,” the press release stated.

The police said the action was part of a sustained drive against “motor vehicle theft, property offences and habitual criminals” using technical surveillance, secret information and field intelligence.

During the operations, “a total of six accused persons were apprehended and fifteen stolen two-wheelers, along with one illegal button-actuated knife, were recovered,” the release said.

In one of the key cases, police arrested Gurpreet Singh @ Lalli, described as a “notorious auto-lifter and BC of PS Tilak Nagar”, following a trap near M-Block Park, Najafgarh Road. Police recovered two stolen motorcycles and one scooty from him. The accused also led to the recovery of another stolen motorcycle during interrogation.

In another major operation, AATS/West District apprehended Md. Saddam and Suraj near ESI Metro Station Parking, Rajouri Garden, while they were travelling on a stolen Honda Activa. Their interrogation led to the recovery of six additional stolen two-wheelers.

Police said the accused were found to be supplying stolen vehicles to a “Mewati gang”, and further investigation is underway to trace the wider syndicate.

In a separate case, Police Station Mayapuri solved a motorcycle theft within three days by analysing CCTV footage and technical inputs. Two accused were arrested from Rohini, leading to the recovery of four stolen motorcycles linked to multiple police station cases.

In another incident, vigilant staff of Police Post Madipur apprehended Rajeev Gupta near Jheel Park after he attempted to flee. A stolen scooty and a button-actuated knife were recovered from his possession.

The West District Police said the overall operation resulted in the arrest of six accused, recovery of 11 motorcycles and four scooties, and registration of one Arms Act case along with 11 motor vehicle theft cases being worked out.

The police described the action as the result of “professional investigation, field intelligence and vigilant policing” aimed at curbing street crime and improving public safety.

New Delhi, June 11: The Ministry of Home Affairs has issued a fresh advisory warning about the growing misuse of Artificial Intelligence (AI) by cybercriminals to create highly convincing deepfake videos and synthetic identities aimed at compromising financial and digital ecosystems.

According to the advisory issued by the National Cybercrime Threat Analytics Unit (NCTAU) under the Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Centre (I4C) of the Home Ministry, cyber fraudsters are increasingly leveraging advanced AI tools to generate realistic digital impersonations capable of deceiving authentication systems.

“These technologies may be exploited to bypass facial authentication, liveness verification, Video-KYC, account recovery, and unauthorised access to financial and digital services. Fraudsters may attempt to gain unauthorised access to accounts by using facial recordings obtained through deceptive video calls, fake online job interviews or social engineering tactics,” the advisory read.

Elaborating on the pattern observed in such cybercrimes, the NCTAU outlined a multi-stage modus operandi employed by fraudsters. The process often begins with an initial approach through social media networks, messaging platforms, job portals, dating applications, or direct phone calls.

Once communication is established, attackers move to the next phase by gathering facial data. The advisory noted that facial information may already be available through publicly accessible online content. In many cases, however, victims are persuaded to perform specific facial actions such as looking directly at a screen, turning their heads, blinking repeatedly, or speaking on camera.

The collected recordings are then processed using AI-powered deepfake technologies. Through these tools, cybercriminals can create highly realistic digital replicas that mimic a person’s facial expressions, eye movements, gestures, and even their voice.

The advisory warned that if systems lack adequate deepfake detection capabilities, these fabricated identities may be used to bypass facial authentication and liveness verification checks.

Authorities further cautioned that the misuse of such AI-generated content could facilitate fraudulent Know Your Customer (KYC) verification processes. By successfully defeating identity verification safeguards adopted by financial institutions, fraudsters may be able to create, activate or operate financial accounts for illegal purposes.

To counter these evolving threats, the NCTAU has recommended several security measures for institutions as well as individuals. The advisory stated that customer onboarding systems, including those operated by fintech firms, should incorporate robust mechanisms capable of detecting deepfakes and other forms of synthetically generated content.

“Locking your biometric profile is the strongest defence against this type of remote identity theft,” the advisory stated.

In addition, individuals have been advised to closely monitor email notifications and alerts for any unauthorised login attempts or suspicious authentication activities that may indicate an attempt to misuse their identity.

The advisory emphasised that any signs of financial fraud or identity theft should be reported immediately. Citizens have been encouraged to document incidents through the National Cyber Crime Reporting Portal and provide relevant information, including the fraudster’s contact details and any video links involved in the scam.

The NCTAU also warned users to remain vigilant about sudden disruptions in mobile network services, noting that such incidents could indicate a fraudulent SIM swap attack.

Issuing a broader caution, the advisory clarified that it has been released to raise awareness about emerging AI-enabled identity fraud techniques. It added that references to identity verification systems and authentication processes are based on observed threat trends and “do not imply vulnerabilities or compromise of any specific organisation, platform, or service.”