An Indian-origin man in Arkansas is fighting to restore his US visa after a shocking case of mistaken identity led to his arrest and possible deportation, all over a bottle of perfume.

Mistaken for opium

Kapil Raghu, who was living legally in the US and married to an American citizen, was pulled over by Benton police on May 3 for a minor traffic violation while making a food delivery. During the stop, officers found a small bottle labelled "Opium" in his vehicle’s center console.

Despite Raghu’s insistence that the bottle was simply designer perfume, not narcotics, police assumed it was an illegal substance and arrested him for drug possession. Bodycam footage reportedly shows officers saying, “You got a vial of opium that was in your centre console.”

Charges dropped, but visa revoked

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