"She was asked to hand it over to someone in Dubai.”
A 24-year-old woman from Hyderabad has been jailed in Dubai after airport officials reportedly found drugs in a bag she was carrying.
Ameena Begum, who lives in Konda Reddy Guda in the Kishan Bagh area, travelled to Dubai on May 18, 2025.
Her family said she was offered a job at a beauty parlour by a local travel agent who arranged her travel.
But according to a letter written by her mother, Sultana Begum, to India’s Minister of External Affairs, S Jaishankar, Ameena was arrested immediately upon her arrival at Dubai airport when customs officers discovered a bag containing drugs.
Her mother has claimed that Ameena was unaware of the bag’s contents and had been told to hand it over to someone in Dubai.
She wrote in the letter: “Ameena called the family from jail and insisted she is innocent.
“She was asked to hand it over to someone in Dubai.”
The family has made an urgent plea to the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) and reached out to the Indian Embassy in Abu Dhabi and the Indian Consulate in Dubai.
They have sought legal help and swift action to bring Ameena home safely.
The situation has left her five-year-old son, Mohammed Zeeshan, deeply affected. The family said he has fallen ill after being separated from his mother.
Sultana said:
“He is crying too much for his mother and has fallen sick.”
The family believes Ameena may have been unknowingly used as a drug mule and is demanding a full investigation into the travel agent who arranged the job offer.
They are urging the Indian government to act quickly, citing concern for Ameena’s safety and mental health in custody.
So far, there has been no official response from Indian authorities or UAE officials regarding the case.
There have been numerous cases of women being arrested on drug charges after illicit substances were found in their luggage, with them saying they had no knowledge that they were in there.
A British woman, Charlotte May Lee, was arrested in Sri Lanka in May 2025 after authorities found £1.2 million worth of cannabis in her luggage.
The former air stewardess had just arrived on a flight from Bangkok, Thailand, when customs officials detained her.
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