Seven Arrested at Kolkata Airport for Alleged Foreign Currency Smuggling; Rs 3.51 Crore Seized

Kolkata: The Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) has arrested seven passengers at Kolkata airport for allegedly attempting to smuggle foreign currency worth Rs 3.12 crore out of India on a flight to Bangkok.

Acting on specific intelligence, DRI officers intercepted the passengers at Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose International Airport in the early hours of November 6. Searches of their persons and baggage led to the recovery of US dollars and British pounds valued at Rs 3.12 crore.

According to the agency, the currency was concealed in notebooks, shoes, clothes and specially designed compartments inside trolley bags. Some of the notes were hidden deep inside checked-in and hand baggage.

The passengers allegedly failed to produce documents establishing their lawful possession of the currency. They were arrested under provisions of the Customs Act read with applicable Foreign Exchange Management Act (FEMA) regulations.

In a separate interception, officials recovered additional foreign currency worth Rs 39 lakh from the baggage of other passengers. They were handed over to Customs authorities for further proceedings.

The combined value of the currency seized in the two operations stood at approximately Rs 3.51 crore, the DRI said in a statement issued on November 10.

The agency said it would continue intelligence-led operations to identify and dismantle networks involved in the illegal movement of foreign currency across the country’s borders.