Rs 50 lakh currency seized at airport

Chennai: Customs officers at the Anna international airport seized Rs 50 lakh from a passenger who was about to board a Saudi Airlines flight bound for Riyadh.
Abdul Hassan (55), a resident of Kayalpattinam village in Thoothukudi district, was found in possession of Rs 500 and Rs 1000 Indian currency bills worth Rs 50 lakh. He was detained immediately as nothing more than Rs 5000 is allowed to be carried as currency on an international flight.
Hassan had intended to take the Saudi Airlines flight number SV 769 to Riyadh from where he would have travelled on to Jedah. A senior official at the airport told TOI that Hassan had gotten past the immigration checks and was nabbed only after security officials noticed the currency notes during the baggage checks. Hassan had almost got through unscathed as he had hidden the money under a bundle of clothes, thus making it difficult to detect. Upon questioning by customs officials, Hassan said that he had intended to carry the money to Jedah, where he would have handed it over to pilgrims who were travelling to Haj from Tamil Nadu.
03/09/08 Times of India

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Categories: Airports Sep 2008