Daijiworld Media Network - Mangaluru
With Inputs from Media Release

Mangaluru, Jan 5: Acting swiftly on specific intelligence, the officers of Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI), Mangaluru, on Thursday January 5 arrested a passenger at the Mangaluru international airport here and seized foreign currencies worth over Rs 25 lac.

The arrested is Mohammed Farooque Armar (51), a native of Bhatkal.

The officers arrested Farooque while he was waiting to board the SpiceJet flight SG59 bound for Dubai. Farooque had by then completed all check-in and immigration formalities.

On thorough examination of Farooque's baggage, the officers found that bundles of foreign currencies were deftly concealed inside biscuit and confectionery packets. Assorted foreign currencies comprising US dollars, British pound, euros, UAE dirhams, Saudi riyals and Qatari riyals, totalling 25,07,162 in Indian rupee value were recovered from Farooque. The currencies were seized under the provisions of Customs Act, 1962 read with FEMA rules and RBI guidelines issued in this regard.

Upon interrogation, Farooque admitted the offence and stated that in the past also he had been a carrier of smuggled mobile phones and confectioneries into India from the Gulf countries and it was out of the proceeds of these smuggled goods that he was able to purchase the huge quantity of foreign currencies from various underground operators in Bhatkal, whose whereabouts and activities are being keenly investigated by the DRI now.

The DRI said that it was hopeful of getting new breakthrough regarding unauthorised currency dealers and hawala operators in the course of further investigation.