Khushi
Mumbai-based couple Oniba and Sharique Qureshi, who were sentenced to 10 years in jail in a drug case in Qatar in 2019, finally returned home in the early hours on Thursday with their daughter.
A Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) official said the couple landed at the Mumbai airport at 2.30 am.
The couple were arrested at Hamad International Airport in July 2019 after Qatari authorities recovered 4.1 kg of hashish in their bag. It later was discovered that Sharique’s aunt, Tabassum Qureshi, had used them to transport the drugs.
She had sponsored the Qatar trip for the couple, concealed drugs in their bag without their knowledge.
At that time, while Sharique was employed with a Japanese company, Oniba had just learnt that she was pregnant. She delivered a girl, Aayat, in jail in February 2020.
Their family members in India approached the Centre, asking it to intervene in the matter and help proving the innocence of the couple.
Following this, the NCB got in touch with the authorities in Qatar and the family challenged the lower court order convicting the couple. Eventually, the couple was cleared of all charges.
