An Afghan national was caught at the Delhi airport hiding $490,000 worth Rs 3.59 crore in a microwave oven and ceramics mugs in his luggage.

Directorate of Revenue Intelligence officials said the man admitted to have smuggled forex worth $1.04 million thrice in the past. They suspect the man is part of an organised syndicate.

The 22-year-old man was caught on Monday as he arrived at the Indira Gandhi International airport to board a flight to Dubai. Following a tip-off, DRI officials intercepted him inside Terminal 3.

The search resulted in the recovery of US dollars concealed in the outer cover of the microwave and in the packaging of the ceramic mugs.

“Some cash was recovered from the inner lining of his suitcase. The man said he dismantled the oven and concealed the money using black masking tape to avoid detection,” said an officer requesting anonymity.

Initial investigations revealed the foreign currency was being smuggled out of India as a payment for a gold consignment smuggled in earlier.

“The accused admitted to have smuggled foreign currency out of India on three previous occasions. He was travelling business class and had come to India on a business visa. He said he got cash from his contact in Delhi,” the officer said.

On Tuesday, the DRI arrested another man from Singapore and recovered from him Riyals worth Rs 3.5 crore at the Bangalore airport. “The foreigner was carrying USD, Saudi Riyal and Euros of various denominations. The money was recovered from his checked-in baggage,” he said.

In 2018, customs officials across the country arrested 219 foreign nationals for smuggling gold and foreign currency. The arrested people include foreign nationals from South Asia, East Asia, South-East Asia and also Africa, the DRI said.

First Published: Dec 21, 2018 12:41 IST