Man smuggles foreign cash worth Rs1.35 crore, held at Delhi airport
Jan 20, 2025
New Delhi [India], January 20 : Customs authorities at Indira Gandhi International Airport (IGI) Airport here have charged a 26-year-old Indian male passenger from Uttar Pradesh with smuggling foreign cash.
The individual planned to fly from Terminal-2, IGI Airport, to Hyderabad on Saturday with flight 6E-2768 and then to Ras Al Khaimah with flight 6E-1495 the same day. He was charged on Sunday.
Customs officers intercepted the passenger based on intelligence input, and an examination of his baggage led to the recovery of foreign currency ingeniously concealed in a black trolley bag. The recovered currency included - USD 20,000, Saudi Riyal 5,25,500, and Qatari Riyal 1,000.
The seized currency has a total value of Rs1,35,01,150. The passenger admits to trying to smuggle the money out of India.
The currency was taken under Section 110 of the Customs Act of 1962, based on a reasonable belief that it is subject to confiscation under Section 113 of the Customs Act of 1962, in conjunction with the requirements of the Foreign Exchange Management Act (FEMA), 1999.
The passenger has been arrested under Section 104 of the Customs Act of 1962, and further investigations are proceeding.
Previously, in December, customs officials arrested a 44-year-old woman at IGI Airport for allegedly smuggling gold worth Rs 50 lakh from Dubai to Delhi by concealing it in her rectum.
According to Delhi Customs, based on profiling, the officers of Airport Customs, IGI Airport, Terminal-3, New Delhi booked a case of smuggling of gold on December 15 against the female passenger who arrived at T-3 of IGI Airport by Air India from Kathmandu in Nepal.
Similarly, a male passenger arriving from Riyadh on Al-926 was intercepted at Delhi airport by Customs officials. X-ray scans revealed two gold bars (about 300g, Rs 22.2 lakh) cleverly concealed inside an adaptor on December 15.
