Hyderabad: Officials of the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence seized foreign currency equivalent to Rs 27 lakh from a passenger bound for Sharjah, at the RGI Airport on Wednesday morning.
The foreign currency Qatari, Saudi and Omani riyals, Kuwait, Bahraini and UAE dinars and US dollars, was found in a bag the passenger was taking along with him in an Indigo flight bound for Sharjah.
“The passenger had cleared immigration and security checks at the airport and was about to board the flight when he was stopped by DRI officials. On checking the bag, the foreign currency was found on him,” said a DRI official.
On being questioned, the passenger who is reportedly from the Old City told DRI officials that the foreign currency was handed over to him by some unauthorised dealers and that he was asked to hand it over to a few persons in Sharjah. The foreign currency is equivalent to '27.23 lakh.
As the foreign currency was obtained from unauthoried dealers in violation of FEMA, 1999 and was attempted to be exported illegally, in contravention of the Customs Act 1962 read with FEMA, 1999, it was seized.
The passenger has been arrested. Further investigation in the case was in progress, the official said.
