Man held for smuggling Indian currency at IGIA

Customs department arrested a man at the Indira Gandhi International Airport on Saturday for allegedly trying to smuggle Indian currency worth Rs 17.5 lakh to Dubai. The Customs officials also found Bangladesh currency worth Rs 16.5 lakh on his possession. The accused had used 30-kg khoya to conceal the currency in his checked in baggage.

Customs department arrested a man at the Indira Gandhi International Airport on Saturday for allegedly trying to smuggle Indian currency worth Rs 17.5 lakh to Dubai.

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The Customs officials also found Bangladesh currency worth Rs 16.5 lakh on his possession. The accused had used 30-kg khoya to conceal the currency in his checked in baggage.

Officials said they have arrested the person and investigations are on. According to officials, on basis of intelligence reports they intercepted 35-year-old Mohd. Hafeez Abbas and 32-year-old Fardeen Ansari when they were trying to board a Kingfisher flight to Dubai on Saturday evening.

“We found Rs 5 lakh worth Bangladeshi Taka in Abbas' handbag and Rs 4.5 lakh worth Taka on Ansari. We also recovered Rs 17.5 lakh in Indian currency and Rs 11.5 lakh worth of Taka from Abbas' check-in baggage. Voice recorders and anabolic steroids used for sports prowess were also recovered from them,” additional commissioner of Customs(IGI) Ashutosh Baranwal said.

According to law, Indians going abroad are allowed to take with them Indian currency not exceeding Rs 7,500. According to rules, export of currency norms, Indians going abroad are permitted to take with them foreign currency without any limit provided they have procured it from an authorised foreign exchange dealer.