Euros worth Rs 44 lakh hidden in vegetables seized at Kolkata airport, 2 held

Two persons were arrested at the Kolkata Airport after the Customs department recovered Euro notes worth Rs 44 lakh from them. The accused, who were to board a flight to Bangkok, had concealed the huge cache of foreign currency inside pointed gourds (parval). The Air Intelligence Unit of Kolkata Customs said that 310 Euro notes in the denomination of 500 were seized from the accused.

According to reports, the officials at Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose International Airport grew suspicious after the accused were found carrying luggage that only consisted of vegetables. The accused belong to West Bengal’s Khardah and Uttar Pradesh. However, the accused claimed that these were meant for their friends residing in Bangkok. Officials were not satisfied with the answer and checked the luggage thoroughly. Subsequently, they



found the gourds glued together and recovered the currency after cutting the vegetables.

Officials said the process of cutting gourds took nearly two hours. Both of them failed to submit any legal document which is needed when a flier is carrying foreign currency notes.

Earlier in March this year, Customs officials seized Rs 1.34 crore worth notes of various Gulf countries from a Dubai-bound passenger at the Chennai airport. The seizure was made when the officials, acting on a tip-off that some individuals were allegedly involved in smuggling of foreign currencies, checked the baggage of 27-year old Syed Durabudeen at the international terminal. The check yielded currencies, including Saudi Riyals and Kuwait Dinar worth Rs 1.34 crore, a PTI report said. He was arrested following the seizure.