Culprits adopting new ways to smuggle foreign currency from Hyderabad's RGI airport

The youngsters, both belonging to Hyderabad, were travelling for the first time.
CISF deployed at Rajiv Gandhi Airport (File Photo| R.Satish Babu )
CISF deployed at Rajiv Gandhi Airport (File Photo| R.Satish Babu )

HYDERABAD: The case of two youngsters being caught at the RGI airport by Directorate of Revenue Intelligence for smuggling foreign currency by hiding it in a false cavity created in sweet boxes last week on Wednesday, is the first of its kind incident, said, officials.

 There have been instances of foreign currency being smuggled out of the country from Hyderabad, but the Modus Operandi (MO) used by these persons is quite unique. There have been instances of smugglers and carriers adopting such means to smuggle gold from Gulf countries, but employing this MO for smuggling goods out of the country, is raising suspicion on new ways adopted by operators. 

The youngsters, both belonging to Hyderabad, were travelling for the first time. Each of them had concealed `3.50 lakh Saudi riyals equivalent to `74 lakh, inside boxes containing sweets and biscuits.
Though it is suspected to be a hawala transaction, involving converting black money into white, the mode in which it has taken up is surprising.

According to investigators, there were several cases in the past, where foreign currency was smuggled abroad and at least four women were caught at RGIA in the past few months. But all of them were found to have concealed the currency in their baggage or clothes or especially in designer clothes. According to officials, the value of foreign marked gold which makes way into the Indian markets, is paid through hawala in the form of foreign currency.

This will be transported to Gulf countries and will be invested in buying foreign marked gold, which is again sent to India through different channels. “This is a continuous cycle and every time a case is registered, only carriers are caught. But the operators in Gulf and the kingpins here are at large and so the cycle continues,” they said.

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