VOI World/ desk
A 24-year-old Indian woman named Ameena Begum has been arrested in Dubai on drug possession charges just hours after arriving for a purported beauty parlour job. Originally from Hyderabad’s Konda Reddy Guda, she traveled to Dubai on May 18 after being introduced to the job opportunity by a local travel agent. Upon landing at Dubai airport, authorities discovered illegal drugs in a bag she was carrying.
Ameena’s mother, Sultana Begum, insists her daughter was unaware of the contents and claims she had been asked to hand the bag over to someone in Dubai. From her jail cell, Ameena has told her family she is innocent. The mother has appealed to India’s Ministry of External Affairs and the Indian Embassy in Abu Dhabi, as well as the consulate in Dubai, for legal assistance and repatriation. She also expressed concern for Ameena’s five-year-old son, who has fallen ill and is reportedly distressed due to separation from his mother.
The family has demanded an investigation into the travel agent who facilitated the job offer, believing Ameena may have been unknowingly used as a mule. Authorities are yet to comment on the specifics of the case.
