A Delhi court today sent to two- day judicial custody a female flight attendant of Jet Airways, arrested by the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) for allegedly trying to smuggle out foreign currency worth over Rs three crore. Duty Magistrate Ritu Singh sent to jail air hostess and agent Amit Malhotra, identified as an alleged hawala operator by the DRI, with a direction that they be produced on January 11 before the concerned metropolitan magistrate. During the hearing, the DRI had sought two-week judicial custody for the arrested duo. According to a statement issued by the DRI today, the air hostess, part of a major global hawala syndicate, was intercepted by DRI officials when she was on a flight to Hong Kong yesterday. "During examination of her checked-in and hand baggage, USD 4,80,200 wrapped in aluminium foil having market value of Rs 3.25 crore, has been recovered," the statement said. The agency said the lady had carried foreign currency several times in the past at the behest of Malhotra, a Delhi- based hawala operator based in Vivek Vihar area here. It has been alleged that Malhotra was following a modus operandi of using crew members for smuggling of forex and had befriended the Jet Airways crew member six months ago during a flight to India.
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