BENGALURU: A team steered by the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI), Bengaluru, that unearthed nearly Rs 1 crore worth foreign currency hidden in a mixer grinder at Kempegowda International Airport here on October 1, has now facilitated the seizure of currency worth nearly Rs 3.7 crore at Mumbai airport.
The currency was hidden deep in ingeniously designed false bottoms of the carry-on luggage, said an official release. Using data analytics under 'Operation Cheque Shirts' the DRI developed specific intelligence on two passengers who planned to smuggle foreign currency outside India from Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport.
“They were intercepted in the early hours of Friday when they were on their way to Sharjah. Examination of their baggage yielded foreign currency in the form of US dollars and Saudi Dirhams, valued at 3.7 crore,” it said. The flyers had no legal documents for the possession or export of the currency. It has been seized under Section 110 of the Customs Act 1962.
This marks the fourth such case of large foreign currency seizure at an international airport, the release said.
“Besides amounting to “smuggling” in terms of the Customs Act, illicit export of foreign currency provides a means for laundering proceeds of unlawful and criminal activities. Further, it also poses a grave threat to the national economy and national security,” it added.
Further investigations are on into the seizure made on Friday.