India: Rifle cartridge siezed, Israeli detained
High-tech worker arrested after rifle magazine recovered at airport. Foreign Minsitry says consulate following case
An Israeli citizen was arrested at the Mumbai airport in India on Wednesday after being found in possession of a rifle magazine.
Jerusalem resident Natan Magar is believed to be a high-tech company's employee who finished a visit to the country and was returning to Israel.
Officials believe he left Israel with the cartridge in his possession.
A co-worker told Ynet that the company got word of the situation Wednesday morning.
"He was on a business trip to India. He is a Jerusalem high-tech person, a super-geek, from a religious home. Even though company employees travel to India frequently he feared the trip because he is religious, introverted, not has nothing to do with India," the collegue said. "As far as we know, he apparently forgot a magazine in his bag."
Meanwhile, the Foreign Ministry said in a statement that: "The consulate is following the matter closely".
This is not the first time an Israeli is arrested abroad in possession of military ammunition.
Last year, 50-year-old Ra'anana resident Moti Mor was arrested in Antalya, Turkey after a handgun and a cartridge full of bullets were found in his suitcase as he tried to board a flight to Israel.
Mor, a father of three, boarded a flight to Turkey at Ben-Gurion Airport on Thursday along with five friends for a planned motorcycle expedition in the mountains of Asia Minor. The licensed pistol he apparently forgot in his suitcase was not detected by airport security.
Two years prior, Jerusalemite Noa Haviv was arrested in India when a full magazine of 16 bullets was found in her bag.
Haviv traveled to India with her brother's backpack, but apparently didn't thoroughly check it and so didn't notice the magazine left in the bag from her brother's last reserve duty. "She was very surprised when the magazine showed up in a check performed on her bag in Mumbai," her mother said.
Initial report received via Red Email
