Foreign currency worth Rs 6.12 crore seized from passengers at Kolkata airport

KOLKATA: In three separate hauls in five days, airport authorities in Kolkata have seized foreign currency worth approximately Rs 6.12 crore from eight passengers flying out of Kolkata.

CISF officials in New Delhi released the data after two passengers holding Indian passports were intercepted at the airport on Wednesday and 90,000 US Dollars in denominations of 100 were found concealed in nine Biryani packets wrapped in black polythene bags.

“The first man identified as Manawar Hossain was travelling to Bangkok by a Thai Airways flight that was scheduled to leave the city at 2am. Around 1.15am, the man approached the pre-embarkation security check at X-ray baggage scanner number 1 of International Security Hold Area when the sub inspector manning the scanner observed something suspicious in the hand baggage of the passenger and checked the bag physically. He found the wads of notes stacked inside the Biryani packets. He could not provide any supporting documents of the cash and was subsequently arrested,” the release stated.

Upon interrogating him and further checks, another Indian national, Manawar Asif travelling to Bangkok in the same flight was arrested after 30,000 US Dollars were found concealed in three Biryani packets from him. The duo were travelling together but had tried to check in through different gates.

Both the passengers with seized US Dollars were handed over to the customs for further investigation.

Wednesday’s arrest came after seven Bangladeshi nationals were apprehended at the Kolkata airport on Tuesday for carrying over USD 7.43 lakh in cash allegedly without any document. All the seven had reached the Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose International Airport to take the same flight to Dhaka and had allegedly concealed the artificially created false bottom of the baggage wrapped with black carbon papers to avoid detection. The total seized amount was equivalent to 5.03 crores.

Earlier on Saturday, 70,000 USD was found concealed in the false bottom of the bag of another Bangladeshi national Alom Shah while he was travelling to Dhaka.