Amritsar: Currency and gold smuggling racket busted, women passenger held with foreign currency worth Rs 18 lakh

Amritsar: A gang of currency and gold smugglers was unearthed following the arrest of a female passenger and her accomplice and the seizure of around Rs 18 lakh foreign currency notes. A female passenger was reportedly en route to board Air India flight number IX-191 to Dubai at Sri Guru Ram Das Ji International Airport in Amritsar when the jawans of the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) observed the presence of foreign currency with the lady passenger and handed her over to the customs officers stationed at the airport for further investigation.

Amritsar Customs commissioner Rahul Nangare informed Zee News that during search, they found the foreign currency valued at Rs. 18.18 lakh (including Rs. 4.10 lakh worth Euros; Rs. 4.53 lakh worth GB Pounds and Rs. 7.91 worth of Australian Dollars and some other currencies). The foreign currency notes were concealed in a pouch that was tied at the waist of the passenger.

On further interrogation, it was revealed that this female passenger was part of a racket of smugglers involved in smuggling out foreign currency and smuggling in gold. During further investigation, another person, who was the main person carrying out this operation was intercepted by the Customs officers.

The questioning of both individuals revealed that gold worth more than Rs. 5 crore and foreign currency worth more than Rs. 2.05 crore had been smuggled into and out of several Indian airports, respectively.

Both the female passenger and the primary gang leader were detained, brought before the court, and sentenced to two days of confinement with the Customs division.