KOCHI: The Customs Department will evoke the Conservation of Foreign Exchange and Prevention of Smuggling Activities (Cofeposa) Act against an Afghan national who was intercepted with foreign currency to the tune of Rs 10.86 crore from Nedumbassery airport last month.
Mohammad Siddiqui Yusafi, 33, was arrested by Customs officers while boarding a flight to Dubai from Nedumbassery. Yusafi boarded an Air India flight via Kochi from New Delhi. However, due to a technical snag, the passengers were asked to alight at Nedumbassery airport.
The currencies, a mix of Dollars and Saudi Riyals, were detected when the baggage was scanned at Cochin International Airport Ltd (CIAL). The accused is currently in judicial custody.
“We decided to evoke Cofeposa against the Afghan national foreseeing the possibility of him going absconding once released on bail. The investigation found the accused was part of an organised cartel which regularly smuggled currency from New Delhi. The accused has smuggled currency from New Delhi on previous occasions as well,” said Sumit Kumar, Customs commissioner, Kerala.
The Customs has requested the joint secretary of the Central Economic Intelligence Bureau under the Ministry of Finance to issue Cofeposa against the accused. The Cofeposa screening committee will later decide whether to put the accused in preventive detention under the Act. If approved, Yusafi will be put under preventive detention for up to one year.
The Customs Department has also taken up the security lapse at New Delhi airport from where the Afghan national could evade security checking.
“The matter was informed to Delhi International Airport Ltd (DIAL) which uses the same set of screening machines installed at CIAL. However, the currency could not be detected there. The accused had been smuggling currency through DIAL frequently.
“While returning from Dubai, he used to smuggle cigarette cartons. Once the investigation of the case is completed, we will take up the matter with Bureau of Civil Aviation Security of India,” an officer said. The Customs suspects someone was aiding Yusafi at the airports in New Delhi and Dubai.
Similarly, it was also learnt during the investigation that the accused was using several fake SIM cards procured from New Delhi. He used to travel in the executive class to Dubai. The matter has been taken up with the Ministry of External Affairs.