A passenger trying to board a flight to Dubai from the Rajiv Gandhi International airport (RGIA) in Hyderabad was arrested by Customs officials on Wednesday in coordination with officials of the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) for allegedly carrying Rs 1.3 crore in foreign currency. Alerted by the Customs, CISF sleuths intercepted the passenger who was boarding flight 6E-8488 bound to Dubai at the RGIA. He had concealed the foreign currency, including US dollars, Saudi and Omani riyals, Kuwaiti dinars and UAE dirhams, in packets of savouries in his baggage.
Customs detained the passenger, filed a case of smuggling against him and took up further investigation. This comes a day after Customs sleuths detained another passenger travelling to Dubai with foreign currency. The passenger was found carrying foreign currency comprising Saudi Riyals and UAE Dirhams equivalent to Rs 11.50 lakh. A case of illegal export of foreign currency was filed against him.
Earlier, two persons were caught by Customs officials for attempting to smuggle Rs 54 lakh in foreign currency inside boondi packets. The two men travelling to Dubai from Hyderabad were caught separately but had used the same modus operandi. Officials in these two instances found the men carrying foreign currencies of Sauri Riyals, American dollars, Kuwaiti Dinars, United Arab Emirates Dirhams, Omani Riyals and Bahraini Dinars.
In December, officials nabbed another man who was found carrying foreign currency worth Rs 32.53 lakh. The man travelling to Sharjah from Hyderabad was found carrying US dollars, Omani Riyal, Saudi Riyal and Qatari Riyals.
