Duo arrested at Kolkata airport for attempting to smuggle out euros

Kolkata  :  Euros, worth Rs 58 lakh, were seized from two Bangkok-bound passengers, who had concealed the money in their rectum, as they were about to board a flight at the NSCBI International Airport here, a DRI release said here on Saturday.

Acting on intelligence that a smuggling syndicate would be attempting to smuggle illegally acquired foreign currency out of Kolkata Airport to Bangkok, the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence sleuths targeted two passengers belonging to the syndicate - Raju Bahadur and Sonia Kapoor.

"These two were slated to travel to Bangkok by an Indigo Flight while carrying the illegally acquired foreign currency. DRI officers intercepted the two passengers as they were about to board their flight.

"After intense questioning, the duo admitted to carrying the foreign currency in their rectums and voluntarily ejected out the currency which had been rolled up and wrapped in a rubber," the release said.

The euro currency notes recovered from the duo were seized under provisions of the Customs Act, 1962.

In quite a few cases in the past, rectum concealment has been used to smuggle and ferry gold biscuits.

However, this is the first instance in Kolkata in recent times, where foreign currency has been attempted to be smuggled through this route.

A few days back, an airhostess of a prominent Airlines was intercepted carrying foreign currency illegally outside India.