BENGALURU: A 37-year-old passenger, heading from Bengaluru to Abu Dhabi, was intercepted at Kempegowda International Airport and foreign currency worth Rs 35.45 lakh was seized from him.
According to a Customs source, the flyer Nainar Haja Hanifa attempted to smuggle $45000 and 185 Dirhams in his baggage via Etihad Airways. He is a native of Ramanathapuram in Tamil Nadu. Hanifa was intercepted by the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence and handed over to the Air Intelligence Customs Unit on September 14.
There is a maximum limit fixed on international flyers carrying foreign currency outside India, averaging $3,000 (Rs 2.4 lakh only) with exceptions in the case of a couple of countries. As a special case, extra cash would be permitted only after prior permission with documentation for the source of cash being carried available.