Kozhikode: A 32-year-old woman was taken into custody after police seized 56.59 grams of hashish oil concealed inside two bottles of coconut oil at the Government Medical College Hospital in Kozhikode.

The accused, identified as Ashwathi, a native of Meppadi in Wayanad who is currently residing in Kasaragod, had arrived at the hospital as an attendant in the maternity ward of the hospital.

Hospital staff and other bystanders became suspicious of her behaviour in Ward 41 and alerted the Medical College police. A subsequent inspection led to the recovery of the contraband, which had been carefully hidden inside two coconut oil bottles.

Medical College police said 29.08 grams of hashish oil were recovered from one bottle and 27.51 grams from the other, taking the total seizure to 56.59 grams.

During questioning, Ashwathi told investigators that she had brought the hashish oil to hand it over to her husband, who is currently lodged in jail. Police suspect that she intended to hand over the oil to jail inmates, while they were at the hospital for medical examinations.

The Medical College police have registered a case under the relevant provisions of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act and launched a detailed investigation into the source of the narcotic and whether others were involved in the smuggling attempt.