DRI seizes foreign currency worth Rs 1.27 crore at Kolkata airport, 2 held

Kolkata : The Directorate of Revenue Intelligence seized foreign currency equivalent to Rs 1.27 crore and arrested two persons who were about to fly out of the city, an official said on Thursday.

Acting on a tip-off, the DRI sleuths intercepted two passengers after they had checked in and completed their security and immigration formalities. They were about to board a Bangkok-bound flight.

A search of the bags led to the discovery of 174,500 US dollars equivalent to Rs 1.27 crore, concealed in customised pockets of the bags, and wrapped in carbon paper to avoid detection by X-ray machines at the airport, the official said.

The passengers - Javed Ahmed and Kamesh Gaur - from the National Capital Region have been arrested.

They have admitted to being part of a syndicate that smuggles foreign currency to Bangkok. They admitted to have done this before too, the agency said in a statement.