LUCKNOW, Sept. 6 -- A bizarre concealment method-strapping knee caps around their thighs-allegedly helped two women smuggle more than 5 kg of Nepal-origin charas past railway checkpoints before DRI officials intercepted them at Gorakhpur railway station. The agency seized 5.088 kg of charas, worth around Rs.5.08 crore in the illicit market, from the two women and a male associate travelling on the Amarnath Express from Sugauli in Bihar to Ludhiana in Punjab, officials said on Friday. Acting on specific intelligence, a DRI team intercepted the three passengers late on Thursday. During a personal search, officials recovered 11 packets containing a blackish substance concealed in knee caps wrapped around the women's thighs and hidden beneath their sarees. The unusual concealment method allegedly enabled the packets to remain hidden against their bodies throughout the train journey. The substance tested positive for charas using a field-testing kit, the DRI said. The agency identified it as Nepal-origin charas, which it said is in high demand in illicit drug markets. The contraband was seized under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act, 1985, and all three passengers were arrested for their alleged involvement in drug trafficking. The DRI is probing the source of the charas, its intended destination and the wider network allegedly involved in transporting the consignment. htc...