'It was a mistake...' Navya Nair fined over ₹1 lakh in Australia for carrying jasmine flowers

Melbourne: Actress Navya Nair was fined more than ₹1 lakh for carrying jasmine flowers at Melbourne International Airport. She was found with a 15-centimetre jasmine string and later revealed the experience during a public event.

Navya had travelled to Australia to attend the Onam celebrations organised by the Malayali Association of Victoria.

While addressing the audience, she narrated what happened at the airport. The actress said she was unaware that carrying jasmine into Australia was prohibited, but admitted that “ignorance is no excuse.” The Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry fined her 1,980 Australian dollars (around ₹1.14 lakh).

“Before I came here, it was my father who bought jasmine for me. He cut it into two parts and gave it to me. He asked me to wear one in my hair from Kochi to Singapore, since it would wither by the time I reached. He told me to keep the second one in my handbag so I could wear it on the onward journey from Singapore. I put it in my carry bag,” Navya explained.

“What I did was against the law. It was a mistake I made unknowingly. Ignorance is no excuse. For bringing a 15 cm jasmine string, officials asked me to pay a fine of 1,980 dollars. A mistake is a mistake, though it was not intentional. They told me the fine must be paid within 28 days,” she added.

Laughing off the incident, Navya joked that she had landed in Australia with “jasmine worth more than a lakh rupees.”

A day before travelling, she had shared pictures from her flight on social media, mentioning she was heading to Melbourne.