Former Mrs Kerala Contestant Arrested at Mumbai Airport for Smuggling Cannabis Worth ₹11.82 Crore
Harsha Sunny, a 28 or 29-year-old model and former Mrs Kerala pageant contestant, was arrested at Mumbai's Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport after customs officials allegedly found 12 vacuum-sealed packets of hydroponic cannabis worth Rs 11.82 crore in her trolley bag following her arrival from Bangkok. She was intercepted by the Air Intelligence Unit after officials found her behaviour suspicious during routine surveillance, and an on-the-spot NDPS kit test confirmed the substance as high-grade marijuana. The case has drawn public attention due to Sunny's profile, while investigators probe potential links to a larger drug trafficking network.
Harsha Sunny, a model and former contestant in the Mrs Kerala 2025 beauty pageant who also works as a relationship manager at a private bank, was arrested at Mumbai's Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport in the early hours of June 11 after customs officials allegedly recovered over 11 kg of hydroponic cannabis from her luggage. She had arrived on Air India flight TG-351 from Bangkok, and was stopped by the Air Intelligence Unit and Customs Department following suspicious behaviour during routine surveillance and passenger profiling. A search of her trolley bag uncovered 12 vacuum-sealed packets containing a green substance that tested positive for high-grade hydroponic marijuana using an NDPS field testing kit, with an estimated illicit market value of Rs 11.82 crore. Sunny was arrested under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act and produced before a Mumbai court, which remanded her to judicial custody. In her defence, Sunny claimed she was unaware of the bag's contents, stating that a person she befriended during her Bangkok trip persuaded her to carry the bag to India — a claim her lawyer described as a classic case of an unsuspecting traveller being exploited by organised traffickers. Investigators are now examining her travel history, communication records, and potential links to a broader smuggling network, while the probe remains at a preliminary stage.
What's missing
The sources do not identify the individual who allegedly handed Sunny the bag or confirm whether any arrests have been made in connection with that person.
How coverage differed
NDTV described Sunny's age as 28 and focused on her suspicious behaviour as the trigger for her interception, while Moneycontrol and Hindustan Times reported her age as 29 and gave greater prominence to her defence — including her lawyer's statement and her claim of being an unwitting carrier — providing a more balanced portrayal of both the prosecution's case and her side of the story.
What different sources said
- Hindustan TimesCenter
Flew from Bangkok with drugs worth ₹12 crore, arrested in Mumbai: How a beauty contest runner-up was caught | India News
- Moneycontrol.comCenter
Model Harsha Sunny arrested at Mumbai airport for allegedly smuggling Hydroponic weed worth Rs 11.82 Crore
- NDTVCenter
Ex-Mrs Kerala Contestant Arrested For Smuggling Weed Worth Rs 11.82 Crore
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