Indian-Origin Man in the US Lands in Jail Over Perfume Bottle, Now Fears Deportation

New Delhi: Can a single bottle of perfume ruin someone’s life? It might sound strange, but a case from the United States shows that it actually happened. Because of a perfume bottle, an Indian-origin man’s life turned upside down. He not only had to go to jail but now also faces the threat of deportation. Kapil was working in the US as a food delivery driver. The man who went through all this is named Kapil Raghu. He was living in Benton, a city in the US state of Arkansas. One day, he left home for some work. During this time, US police stopped him for a routine traffic check. When police searched him, they found a designer perfume bottle. The label on the bottle said ‘Opium’. The police mistook it for the drug opium. Kapil was immediately taken into custody, and his visa was the first thing to be canceled.

Kapil wanted to get US citizenship

Kapil had married an American woman and had been trying for a long time to become a permanent US citizen. But this incident changed everything. During the police investigation, Kapil repeatedly tried to explain that it was a perfume, not opium. However, the officers didn’t believe him and arrested him on suspicion. Later, in the released bodycam footage, officers can be clearly heard saying, “We found a vial of opium in your center console.”

Investigation revealed it was perfume

After Kapil’s arrest, the police sent the bottle for testing. The test confirmed that the substance inside was perfume, not opium. But by then, Kapil had already spent three days in jail. Meanwhile, the immigration authorities accused him of violating visa conditions. However, Kapil’s lawyer, Mike Laux, said that the visa issue happened because of mistakes made by his previous attorney.

Wife forced to work three jobs

After the arrest, Kapil was moved to a federal ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement) center in Louisiana, where he was kept in detention for 30 days. Later, a district court dropped the drug-related charges against him. But during his detention, his visa was canceled. Now, legally, Kapil cannot stay in the US, and he is facing possible deportation. His American wife, Ashley Mace, said that this case has drained all their savings. To cover the legal expenses, she is now working three jobs.