Bay man arrested in India | Hawkes Bay News | Local News in Hawkes Bay

Bullets found in student's luggage

A young Havelock North man found himself locked up in Indian police cells after live bullets were found in his luggage at an airport security check.

Alexander Ralph Harper, a 21-year-old University of Otago student from Havelock North, was stopped at Maharana Pratap Airport in Udaipur, Rajasthan, when security officials found three .22 rifle cartridges in his hand luggage.

Mr Harper told police he had mistakenly carried the cartridges since leaving New Zealand on January 23 - but police were sceptical.

Parbat Singh of Dabok police station said the cartridges were recovered from Mr Harper's hand baggage as he was boarding an evening flight to Mumbai and he was booked under the Arms Act.

"The accused said that he had a licence in his country and we received a copy of his licence by fax," Mr Singh said. "We are examining it.

"He said he was unaware about the presence of the cartridges right from his journey from New Zealand but this fact does not seem satisfactory because it was not the first security check at any airport for him during his tour."

Mr Harper told local television the cartridges were in his bags when he left New Zealand.

"They were in a check-in bag so they were not detected. And then my toilet bag was in my carry-on bag when I went to Udaipur Airport and that was why they detected them there."

His father Jack Harper said his son had been travelling with four friends from the University of Otago on a "trip of a lifetime".

"It was a silly mistake. He has been on summer holiday and has gone off travelling with the boys. He had .22 bullets which he had been rabbit shooting with around our orchard. Someone had picked the bullets up and put them into his sponge bag and he had no idea they were there when he packed. How they didn't get picked up over here we don't know."

Mr Harper said Alex appeared to be in good spirits when he spoke to his son via Skype.

"Obviously you would be a little on edge when something like this happens but he's in very good hands. The New Zealand consulate staff and Indian authorities have been fabulous."

Mr Harper said he had no plans to travel to India to see his son but would keep in touch while he planned his return to New Zealand over the next week or so.

"Now I think it's just a process we have to go through, they've asked for his firearms licence so we've couriered the originals over."

Mr Harper was bailed to reappear on Wednesday. He is continuing his holiday in Goa with friends. His father said he was due back in New Zealand this month to resume university classes, but that would depend on the outcome of the court case.

New Zealand Ministry of Transport spokesman Brenden Crocker said if the cartridges were in Harper's checked baggage they would not have been picked up.

"It's not going to be detected and not considered to be a threat," he said. "It was only if he moved it into his hand luggage that it would have become a problem."

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade was aware of the case.

"The ministry and High Commission in New Delhi are providing consular assistance to the New Zealander and his family," a spokeswoman said, declining to say whether he remained in police custody.

Additional reporting, APNZ