NRI PULSE STAFF REPORT

Benton, AK, October 5, 2025: An Indian nationwide residing in the USA was detained for almost a month after police in Arkansas mistook a bottle of fragrance for an unlawful drug. The incident, confirmed by The Guardian, has drawn consideration to procedural errors that may have severe penalties for immigrants.

In keeping with The Guardian, Kapil Raghu, an Indian citizen married to a U.S. nationwide and dealing towards American citizenship, was stopped by police in Benton, Arkansas, on Might 3 for a minor visitors violation. Through the cease, officers found a small fragrance bottle labeled “Opium”, a preferred perfume by Yves Saint Laurent, and assumed it contained the banned narcotic.

Regardless of Raghu’s clarification that it was solely a perfume, he was arrested on suspicion of drug possession. Subsequent testing by the Arkansas State Crime Laboratory confirmed that the bottle contained fragrance and never an unlawful substance.

Though the drug cost was dropped on Might 20, Raghu remained in custody for a number of days after his arrest. Whereas in native detention, officers recognized what they known as an “administrative difficulty” along with his visa. He was transferred to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) custody and detained at a federal facility in Louisiana for almost 30 days.

In keeping with the report, Raghu’s visa was revoked throughout his detention, leaving him in a precarious immigration state of affairs. His lawyer has since contacted ICE in search of reinstatement of his visa standing.

Raghu’s case highlights how administrative and procedural missteps can escalate into extended detention for non-citizens. As of this week, ICE and Benton Police haven’t issued public statements on the case.

On Might 3, 2025, a routine visitors cease in Benton, Arkansas, turned absurd when police arrested a person after mistaking his vial of YSL “Opium” fragrance for precise opium- a blunder captured on video that led to his wrongful detention. pic.twitter.com/Y8At1q99L3

— X Case Information (@XCaseFiles) August 22, 2025

Cowl photograph credit score: @XCaseFiles/X.