In one of the major seizures of currencies at airports in the country in recent times, Airport Intelligence Unit of Customs Department on Monday night seized ₹1.19-crore worth Indian and various foreign currencies from two passengers who tried to board a flight to Singapore.
Acting on a specific intelligence input, as directed by the Chief Commissioner of Customs, Ranjan Kumar Routray and Commissioner of Customs, Ashok, the officials detained one Prem Nazir of Chennai and one Rabeek Raja of Madurai.
The officials recalled them after they had cleared immigration check. “We also brought out their luggage, conducted a thorough search and found the currency notes were hidden inside the boxes,” the Assistant Commissioner of Customs, A. Venkadesh, said.
In the first case, the officials found that ₹30 lakh in the denominations of ₹2000 notes were kept concealed inside newspapers and packed with adhesive tapes.
In the second box, the accused had created a false bottom and had left currency notes of different nations worth ₹89.19 lakh. “Rabeek Raja had with him US Dollars, Saudi Riyals, UAE Dihrams, and Euros and Pounds,” he added.
Stating that both the passengers are frequent travellers, Mr. Venkadesh said that since they had not declared the possession of the money with the Reserve Bank of India, it would be considered as part of hawala transactions. Both of them were arrested and sent to remand under judicial custody.
The investigation into the case about the involvement of other accused is under way.