The Delhi High Court has dropped all charges against an American national who was found in possession of a live bullet in his hand baggage in 2014 while travelling to Kolkata from the Capital. The court noted that he was unaware of the presence of the bullet in the bag.
Michael Joseph Hayden was en route from St. Louis-Missouri via Chicago and travelling to Kolkata from Delhi. A live cartridge was discovered during the screening of his handbag at Indira Gandhi International Airport.
Contending that he was visiting Kolkata and had taken a connecting flight, he said he was unaware that his handbag contained a live cartridge. Mr. Hayden claimed he did not know how the live cartridge landed in his bag.
He argued that since he has taken a connecting flight and his handbag was also scanned in the United States, it was highly improbable that the live cartridge would have escaped the scan carried out in the US.
