Swedish woman arrested in India with live bullet
Police in India have apprehended a Swedish member of the armed forces when she allegedly attempted to board a plane carrying a live bullet in her baggage.
“We are working hard to get her free. We are hoping we will be successful as soon as possible,” said Philip Simon, press secretary with the Swedish Armed Forces to daily Expressen.
According to the paper, the Swedish woman works with logistics for the Swedish army, but was arrested by security at the Dabolim airport in Goa while on holiday, after a live bullet showed up in the security check of her luggage.
"Whether she had a license to carry the ammunition is under inquiry," a police official said to local paper The India Times.
In interrogation, the woman explained to Indian officials that she was a trained weapons instructor in the Swedish army but that she had “no idea” how the live bullet came to be in her bag.
The Swedish army is treating the matter very seriously and have lodged an official request that the Swedish woman be released.
"As her employers, we have sent down documentation proving that she is trained and licensed to handle ammunition. However, she is in India for private reasons and is not on a mission requiring her to carry bullets," said Pia Sandstedt of the Swedish Army Logistics Unit to news agency TT.
The woman was taken to the local police by the Indian security services, where she is being held pending current investigations.
"She is of course very upset but under the circumstances she is doing fine," Sandstedt said.
She didn't have an answer as to why the the woman, who is also active in the home guard, was doing with live ammunition in her luggage. Neither can she say what consequences this may have for her in India.
Indian officials say they want to find out where she has visited and with whom she has been staying while in the country.
The Swedish army treats offences and weapons transgressions committed by their employees as very serious.
“Of course it isn’t a good thing to carry ammunition when you are travelling. We will speak with her when she returns home,” Simon said to Expressen.
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“We are working hard to get her free. We are hoping we will be successful as soon as possible,” said Philip Simon, press secretary with the Swedish Armed Forces to daily Expressen.
According to the paper, the Swedish woman works with logistics for the Swedish army, but was arrested by security at the Dabolim airport in Goa while on holiday, after a live bullet showed up in the security check of her luggage.
"Whether she had a license to carry the ammunition is under inquiry," a police official said to local paper The India Times.
In interrogation, the woman explained to Indian officials that she was a trained weapons instructor in the Swedish army but that she had “no idea” how the live bullet came to be in her bag.
The Swedish army is treating the matter very seriously and have lodged an official request that the Swedish woman be released.
"As her employers, we have sent down documentation proving that she is trained and licensed to handle ammunition. However, she is in India for private reasons and is not on a mission requiring her to carry bullets," said Pia Sandstedt of the Swedish Army Logistics Unit to news agency TT.
The woman was taken to the local police by the Indian security services, where she is being held pending current investigations.
"She is of course very upset but under the circumstances she is doing fine," Sandstedt said.
She didn't have an answer as to why the the woman, who is also active in the home guard, was doing with live ammunition in her luggage. Neither can she say what consequences this may have for her in India.
Indian officials say they want to find out where she has visited and with whom she has been staying while in the country.
The Swedish army treats offences and weapons transgressions committed by their employees as very serious.
“Of course it isn’t a good thing to carry ammunition when you are travelling. We will speak with her when she returns home,” Simon said to Expressen.
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