Afghanistan's Consul General in Mumbai, India, Zakia Wardak, has resigned from her post after being accused of smuggling huge amounts of gold.
Chehra WebDesk
Afghanistan's Consul General in Mumbai, India, Zakia
Wardak, has resigned from her post after being accused of smuggling huge
amounts of gold.
She was arrested a few days ago at the Mumbai airport
for smuggling "25 kg" of gold from Dubai but was released shortly
after, Indian media reported.
Wardak released a statement today without referring to the incident, announcing that she had resigned as consul general of Afghanistan due to "personal attacks and defamation of me and my family".
But she did not mention the allegations of gold
smuggling or the report of the arrest at the airport.
Before the Taliban took over in 2021, Zakia Wardak was
appointed Consul General of Afghanistan in Mumbai by the previous Afghan
government.
The recovered gold has been confiscated, but Ms Wardak has not
been arrested, as she enjoys diplomatic immunity, The Times of India reported.
The seized gold is estimated to be worth $2.2
million.
In response to a question from The Times of
India, Mrs Wardak said: "I am shocked and disturbed by these allegations
and I need to investigate the matter further." I am sure you are aware of
the recent personal challenges I have faced in assisting the Consulate and
Embassy. "Currently, I am away from Mumbai."
