Can you ever imagine foreign currency being smuggled in peanuts and biscuits? A Dubai- bound flier’s bid to smuggle Saudi Riyal, Qatari Riyal, Kuwaiti Dinar, Omani Riyal and Euro by concealing them in cooked meatballs, peanuts, cookies and other eatable items kept inside his baggage foiled by the alert Central Industrial Security Forces (CISF) personnel posted at the luggage screening gate of the Indira Gandhi International Airport (IGIA) Terminal 3.
Indian-born Murad Alam was arrested for carrying Rs 45 lakh forex in food packets and was handed over to the Customs authorities. A video provided by the force showed the security personnel cracking peanuts, opening sealed biscuit packets and digging into oily meatballs to extract an assortment foreign currencies rolled and wrapped neatly inside.
According to CISF official, on Tuesday at 6.30 pm, the CISF surveillance and intelligence personnel at IGIA observed the suspicious activities of a passenger in the check-in area of Terminal-3.
“The passenger was intercepted and on suspicion, he was taken to the random checking point for thorough checking of his luggage. Alam, bound for Dubai by Air India flight, was arrested later,” said the senior CISF official.
“During x-ray screening of his baggage, the CISF personnel noticed suspicious images inside his bag. The baggage was taken out for physical checking and during physical checking, high volume of foreign currencies were found concealed in cooked mutton pieces, peanuts, biscuit packets and other eatable items kept inside his baggage,” said the CISF official.
“This is a unique and peculiar modus-operandi for concealment of foreign currency. This is a case of smuggling of foreign currencies,” said the official.
This is not the first time that such incidents have been reporter. Last year, a youth from Hyderabad was arrested for carrying 3.50 lakh Saudi Riyals, equivalent to Rs 74 lakh, by concealig it inside boxes containing sweets and biscuits.
Officials said they come across several cases in which people are seen trying different methods to smuggle foreign currencies to foreign countries.
